Snakes, eagles rescued in Philippines pet market raid
MANILA (AFP) — Philippines authorities have rescued venomous snakes, endangered eagles and scores of other rare wildlife in a raid on a pet market in Manila, the environment department said Wednesday.
The team swooped down on the Cartimar market in downtown Manila on Monday and recovered 94 birds and animals which are considered either threatened or vulnerable.
The haul included a white-breasted sea eagle, a hawk eagle, a scops owl and a mynah bird endemic to the western island of Palawan.
All are considered vulnerable and may soon be transferred into the endangered species list, it added.
They also seized threatened species including three species of squirrel, two species of turtle, pit vipers, a cobra and three other species of snake, among others.
"We will relentlessly pursue violators of the Wildlife Act and make them suffer for their environmental crime," Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Joselito Atienza said in the statement.
"Wildlife species are our natural treasures. We must cherish them, we must protect them."
The recovered wildlife would be nursed back to health at a government zoo before being returned to their natural habitat, he said.
He did not say if the government will lodge criminal charges against the owners of the five pet shops that were raided.
