Growing up in the Philippines, construction worker Johnny Manlugay combs the beaches each night for the eggs of sea turtles. He knows exactly what to look for, as he was trained as a child by his grandfather on how to locate the animals and their eggs. Back then, his family traded or ate them. It wasn't about getting rich as much as it was just a part of life.
Manlugay has since turned over a new leaf. Instead, he uses his tracking skills to protect the sea turtles that visit the beaches he lives by.
"I've learned to love this work," Manlugay acknowledged in an interview. "We didn't know poaching(偷猎)was illegal and that we should not eat turtle eggs and meat."
Manlugay delicately transferred each egg into a bucket he brought with him, as well as some sand from the turtle nests, to be handed over to Coastal Underwater Resource Management Actions(CURMA), the group leading the conservation program on the beaches.
Established in 2009, the CURMA conservation effort has gradually transformed sea turtle poachers into valuable allies(盟友). They manage this by offering training to ultimately save thousands of turtles and keep their eggs from ending up everywhere but their nests.
"We talked to the poachers, and it turned out poaching was just another means for them to earn a living," explained Carlos Tamayo, the director of operations. "They had no choice."
On average, sea turtles lay 100 eggs in a nest. The number of nests in the area ranges between 35 and 40 each season, which runs from October to February. Tamayo noted that the figures had doubled during the first year of the COVID pandemic. "Last season alone, for example, we had 75 nests and we released close to 9,000 hatching," he shared.
Once collected, the eggs are then transferred to CURMA's hatchery(孵化场) to be reburied in protected areas. Another former poacher, Jessie Cabagbag, grew up eating turtle meat and eggs like many people there. "I stopped poaching when we underwent training and were taught that what we have been doing was illegal and that these species of turtles are endangered," he explained. Now, he admits, "I am truly proud. I am happy that I get to contribute to the conservation of the turtles."
