When I visited Paly island in Palawan last May 2010, I had this once in a lifetime experience. I saw for the very first time the tracks of a sea turtle on the beach.
I saw a sea turtle out in the open sea when we visited the underground river, also in Palawan. But this was my first time to see its tracks after it laid its eggs on the shore. It could be another awesome experience to witness the sea turtle laying its eggs. But normally, it lays its eggs by night fall.
Sea turtles eggs are priced commodity among the people here in Palawan. Since the island has been inhabited by a growing population of fisher folks, it would be a miracle if the eggs of the sea turtle will ever hatch at all. Though they knew that the sea turtles and their eggs are protected by the laws of the land and their population are decreasing dramatically, it is always a great find for them to catch and eat their meat. And so with their eggs.
As our local companion dug through the sands, trying to find those precious eggs, not a single egg had been found. There was no human activity on this part of the beach that uncovered the laying of the eggs of the sea turtle. We were the first one to find it. In reality, we were not the ones to be here first.
The empty shells on the sands were the only evidence of what had been left of those eggs. And the culprit? A dog. A dog was the first one to find it and it has also a strong liking of the sea turtle’s eggs. So, on this island, it is a race between humans and the dogs.
In a world where survival is the name of the game, who are we to judge the predators? But I hope, as humans and not dogs, we can have a share of the responsibility towards the preservation of our endangered species.
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