24 Jan 2008 - The practice
of hunting groups posting grisly pictures
of shot birds on their websites has provoked
a backlash in the Philippines, WWF said.
Hundreds of doves, mallards,
whistling ducks and snipes have been exhibited
on club websites, many protected by Philippine
and international laws.
WWF and the Wild Bird
Club of the Philippines (WBCP) have issued
a petition to gather 10,000 signatures to
put a stop to this action. Afterwards, the
pictures were rapidly pulled out.
Both organizations also
reminded the Philippine Department of Environment
and Natural Resources that, according to
the Wildlife Resources Conservation and
Protection Act, collection and hunting of
threatened wildlife is prohibited.
“The spirit our environmental
regulations were crafted upon reflects the
critical status of our natural resources,
dwindling on the verge of collapse”, says
Yeb Sano, WWF-Philippines project manager.
“Birds and wildlife have important role
to play in the circle of life and decimating
their populations would threaten the viability
of all ecosystems.”
More than 200 Philippine
birds, out of 600 resident and migratory
species, are included in the Wold Conservation
Union’s red list of critically-endangered
species. Among them the Philippine cockatoo,
the negros fruit-dove and the Philippine
eagle, considered by some experts as the
largest eagle on earth.
Birds play a key role
for the Filipinos environment. Their eating
fruits and dispersing of the seeds over
wide parts of land is crucial in revitalizing
forests. Some nectar-feeders such as the
olive-backed sunbird are important pollinators.
Seabirds improve the
ecology of small islands by producing large
amounts of guano which enriches island soil,
allowing less adaptable plants to root.
“The exposure of groups
hunting threatened species illustrates the
huge chasm between policies and implementation.
In a democracy symbolized by an unshackled
bird, it is ironic that gun-toting groups
are deliberately violating national law
while hunting threatened birds”, adds Yeb
Sano.
Gregg Yan
Education and Communication Officer
WWF-Philippines
