Pangolins found aboard grounded Chinese vessel buried

At least 2,870 pangolins (scaly anteaters) found aboard a Chinese vessel that ran aground in Tubbataha Reef last month were finally buried in Puerto Princesa City last week, the heritage site's caretaker said Monday. The Tubbataha Management Office (TMO) said the burial took place April 27 and 28 at the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Provincial Agricultural Office. "Some pangolins were three to four feet long, larger than specimens originally identified by PCSD (the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development). Some samples of pangolin and other species have been kept for further examination," the TMO said. It said the pangolins were found frozen in sacks aboard the fishing vessel Min Long Yu, which ran aground in Tubbataha Reef last April 8. Also found aboard the vessel were 34 snakes, seven kilos of seaweeds, five kilos of squid and five kilos of fish. The ship was removed from the reef April 19, even as the 12 Chinese aboard it are now detained at the Palawan Provincial Jail over charges of poaching and attempting to bribe park rangers. Pangolins are considered a threatened species in the Philippines and are covered by the Wildlife Protection and Conservation Act of the Philippines. The TMO said it worked with the PCSD, Department of Environment (DENR) and Natural Resources and Philippine Coast Guard in making the burial as efficient as possible. Burial challenges The TMO said its first challenge was to remove the pangolins from the vessel as it arrived at Puerto Princesa on April 20. "By then the ship’s hold was flooded and the animal carcasses had been soaking in seawater for one week. The disposal team therefore had to consider safety measures," it said. It said the liquid waste in the hold was pumped out and transferred to other storage areas on board last April 27. The liquid waste "will remain on the ship until results of laboratory tests indicate how it should be safely disposed," the TMO said. On the other hand, the sacks containing the decomposing pangolins were removed from the hold and packed in bags. "They were then brought to Irawan and laid individually in the burial site," the TMO said. An inventory and careful disposition of the wildlife was conducted. 'Costly operation' The TMO admitted a lack of funds delayed the burial of the pangolins, noting the commissioning of a salvage company to siphon the liquid waste already cost P350,000. The P350,000 also covered the removal of the pangolins from the ship’s hold and their transport to Irawan. But it said World Wildlife Fund Philippines President Lorenzo Tan has committed funds from the Presidential Social Fund to shoulder the expenses. While waiting for the funding, the Tubbataha Protected Area Management Board has paid the contractor using part of its 2013 reef conservation budget. "They are hoping the committed support will arrive soon, so that conservation activities in Tubbataha will not be disrupted by a lack of funds," the TMO said. — KBK, GMA News