Personnel from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Region IX – Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) of Ramon Magsaysay in Zamboanga del Sur rescues wildlife in Sominot, Zamboanga del Sur on January 06, 2021.
The wildlife officers were able to retrieve two (2) Giant Scops Owl (Otus gurneyi) and two (2) Asian Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaproditus) from Mr. Maximo J. Octao, 66 years old and a resident of Barangay Poblacion of the said municipality who voluntarily turned over the said wildlife for proper care and protection.
A physical examination on the said wildlife revealed that they are in good condition with no external wounds.
The team then discussed Republic Act 9147 also known as the “Wildlife Resource Conservation and Protection Act” to the rescuer and nearby residents, emphasizing that keeping a wildlife without a proper facility and care is illegal.
The wildlife were brought to the Regional Wildlife Rescue Center at Baclay, Tukuran, Zamboanga del Sur for rehabilitation prior to their release back into the wild.
Scops owls feed on insects, and are not recommended as pets because they are not easy to feed. They have an excellent sense of hearing which helps them locate their prey and their well-developed raptorial claws and a curved bill facilitate tearing their prey into pieces that are small enough to swallow.
On the other hand, the Asian palm civet is an omnivore feeding foremost on fruits such as berries and pulpy fruits. Thus, it helps to maintain tropical forest ecosystems via seed dispersal.
Since 2008, Asian Palm Civet is Red Listed under the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Least Concern as it accommodates to a broad range of habitats while the Giant Scops Owl is listed as vulnerable.
