PAWD STOPS SMUGGLING OF PIT VIPERS AT NAIA

PASAY CITY - Officers of the Wildlife Traffic Monitoring Unit (WTMU) of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Division (PAWD) prevented on Tuesday, May 28, 2013 the smuggling of Batanes pit vipers and other wild animals at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). 

WEO Arnel C. Matreo holds the containers holding the Batanes pit vipers while a DHL personnel looks on.  The snakes were retrieved from DHL NAIA office. 

Tipped-off by an unidentified caller, WTMU agents led by Wildlife Enforcement Officer Arnel C. Matreo rushed to the NAIA office of DHL to verify reports that the courier company is about to export some snakes that day via its delivery system. 

Batanes pit vipers (Trimeresurus flavomaculatus mcgregori) are snakes endemic to the Philippines.  Pit vipers are a favorite among exotic pet lovers and fetch a high price in the wildlife black market. 

Richard Armoreda, DHL Chief of Security, confirmed the report but initially refused to show the packages for inspection.  Lacking the necessary permits from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) however, DHL was forced to surrender the packages to the WTMU personnel. 

Concealed in boxes and declared as t-shirts, stuffed toy, and speakers the packages were found containing 7 heads of Batanes pit vipers, 2 heads of boa constrictor; 2 heads of reticulated phython; and, assorted live spiders (Tarantula).

The snakes were concealed in packages and declared as "shirts" and "stuffed toys"

According to records provided by DHL, the package containing the snakes came from a certain Jason Guillermo of No. 2 Panganiban Street, Barangay Sta. Lucia, Novaliches, Quezon City.  It was due for delivery to a certain Mr. S. Theron of British North West Province in South Africa.  The package containing the spiders on the other hand came from a certain Warren Lazibal of Quirino Ave., Las Piñas City and was bound for Jakarta, Indonesia to a certain Jalan Anggrek/Ardy Chandra.

The spiders were hidden in a box declared as "speakers"

The illegal trade of Batanes pit vipers, according to GMA News TV documentary program I-Witness, has been going on since the early 1990s (see link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDFn120lUxY).  The snakes are captured live and flown in to Manila from Batanes Airport and later sent to different countries around the world for breeding. Price of the snakes go from as low as P300 to as high as P2000, depending on the color of its scales.

The capture and sale of wildlife, however, are punishable under Republic Act 9147 (Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act). 

DENR-NCR Regional Executive Director Neria A. Andin hailed the confiscation of the snakes and spiders, warning illegal wildlife traders of the Department’s intensified drive to stamp out smuggling of wild animals from the Philippines. 

The rescued animals have been handed over to the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center in Diliman, Quezon City for proper disposition.