Monday, January 05, 2009 3 owls rescued By Liway C. Manantan-Yparraguirre
STA. BARBARA -- Three owls have been turned over to the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (Penro).
The owls, found at a mango farm in Barangay Tuliao, were named Dominguez, Gabis and Idos in honor of three policemen who rescued them -- Deputy Chief Isaias Dominguez, and police officers Jonathan Gabis and Christopher Idos.
"These policemen are exemplars of Pulis Makakalikasan. They do not only perform their sworn duty to protect the citizenry, maintain peace and order, but also protect other live things," said Municipal Police Chief Eric Noble.
"Pulis Makakalikasan is one of the four traits of a policeman. These include Maka-Dios (God-fearing), Makatao (humane) and Makabayan (nationalistic)," Noble added.
He narrated the three policemen were at mango farm when they saw the three owls.
Fearing the owls might be caught by other people and be taken as pets or as toys, Noble said the policemen decided to rescue the young owls. They brought them to the police station, and later turned-over to Penro in Dagupan City for proper disposition.
"Owls do not readily thrive in captivity and needs open spaces to really thrive. They are endemic in the Philippines, they are usually found in lowland forests on the islands of Catanduanes, Samar, Bohol, Mindanao, Luzon, Leyte and possibly Sibuyan. They are known locally as the 'kuwago' or 'bukao'. With a total length of 40 to 50 centimeters (16-20 inches) and a wing-length of about 35 centimeters (14 inches), it is the largest owl in the Philippines," Noble said.
Meanwhile, sometime in April 2006, three baby grass owls were also found by local residents in Barangay Buenlag in nearby Calasiao town.
These were also turned-over to Penro and were later released in Mangatarem town.
