Philippine authorities have vowed to form a “special task force” which will crack down on restaurants illegally serving protected marine turtles, known as pawikan.
According to the Straits Times, the announcement is in response to recent media coverage of roadside restaurants in Cebu offering up the popular dish of stewed pawikan.
Despite being located just 300 meters from a police station, one “makeshift eatery” prepares 80 kilos (176 pounds) of marine turtle stew daily.
The Pasil eatery cooks an average of 80 kilos of pawikan meat every day. The dish is cooked in two batches—the first at 9 a.m., in time for customers who start coming at 10. The second batch is prepared at 1 p.m. because by then the 40 kilos of meat cooked in the morning would usually have been consumed.
A mature marine turtle can weigh around 200 kilos.
GMA News spoke with a neighborhood resident who claimed that even policemen are among the diners.
The popularity of sea turtle stew is attributed to the belief that it is an aphrodisiac and “demand for pawikan meat has kept the trade going” — although some patrons are said to partake just for the “thrill and curiosity of eating an endangered species”.
The Philippines is a CITES signatory, and under the country’s Wildlife Conservation Act, or Republic Act No. 9147, violators can be imprisoned for up to one year and fined P100,000 (US $2,300).
Image © iStockphoto.com
Rhishja Cota
I am the founder of Annamiticus and I have been researching and writing about wildlife trafficking issues since 2009. I also founded World Pangolin Day in 2012. I am the author of USAID Wildlife Asia's Pangolin Species Identification Guide: A Rapid Assessment Tool for Field and Desk. I co-facilitated and was a presenter at the USAID Wildlife Asia Pangolin Care Workshop. At the 4th Regional Dialogue on Combating Trafficking of Wild Fauna and Flora, I facilitated the species roundtables on pangolins. I have trekked with forest rangers in Cambodia, journeyed to the streets of Hanoi to research the illegal wildlife trade, and to the rainforests of Sumatra and Java to document the world’s rarest rhinos. At CITES meetings, I collaborate with colleagues from around the world to lobby in favor of protecting endangered species. I hosted the Behind the Schemes podcast and am the author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine. I enjoy music, desert gardening, herping, reading, creating, and walking with my dogs. Check out my t-shirts and stickers at snoots + teefers.