'Born to be Wild' meets rare and endangered turtles

BORN TO BE WILD
March 15, 2015: “Turtles”



Doc Ferds Recio travels to Sorsogon to see the “snake turtle”.  Locals describe the turtle as having a soft outer shell and a long nose.  Doc Ferds finds out that the turtles are actually Chinese soft-shelled turtles that once wreaked havoc in several fish pens in Luzon.  Because they are an invasive species, the Chinese soft-shelled turtles have no natural predators and feed on local fish.  But in Sorsogon, locals say that these “snake turtles” help them eradicate an even bigger threat: another invasive species known as the “golden kuhol” which farmers say destroys their rice fields.



Doc Nielsen Donato meets a different kind of turtle.  He receives a call from vets in Aparri, Cagayan who say that a rare and endangered species of turtle, the Cantor soft-shelled turtle, was accidentally caught by a fisherman and needs help.  The fishing hook is stuck inside the turtle’s mouth.  If left untreated, the rare animal could die.

Don’t miss this Sunday’s episode of BORN TO BE WILD, right after AHA!