ZAMBOANGA CITY – A romp of smooth-coated otters (Lutrogaleperspicillata) surprised island residents of Taganak in Tawi-Tawi when the marine mammals emerged from their den accompanied by three pups on Sunday morning.
Taganak Mayor Mohd Faizal Jamalul said Wednesday that island residents were caught by surprise last Sunday when the three pups joined the otter bore and sow in exploring the area outside of their den.
Jamalul said the pair of adult otters was first seen by the people of Taganak in May this year.
Jamalul immediately asked the people of the island to help take care of the otters, and avoid close contact with them as they could get very protective with their pups.
Taganak residents first reported the sighting of two otters playing in their shoreline in May this year, stirring a lot of interest as it was the first time that they these animals were seen in the island.
According to Jamalul, residents living near the shoreline reported to his office that they heard sounds of newly-born animals coming from the den of the otters.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 9 Executive Director Crisanta Marlene P. Rodriguez said she received the same report from personnel manning the Turtle Islands Wildlife Sanctuary (TIWS) Protected Area.
Rodriguez said TIWS Superintendent Minda Bairula informed her on Monday that local residents of the island had spotted the otters with their pups frolicking in the sand on Sunday morning.
Rodriguez said the smooth-coated otters could only be found in Malaysia and Indonesia, and it was surprising to learn that they have now reached Taganak Island.
Malaysia is located a few miles away from the coast of Taganak, an island municipality bordering the country, and Malaysia and Indonesia.
Rodriguez said that was the first time that the otters, locally known as “Hanjing Laut”, were seen outside their normal area of distribution.
According to Rodriguez the TIWS head it was only on Sunday that some local residents spotted the baby otters coming out from the den.
With the help of personnel from the Philippine National Police Taganak Municipal Station, they were able to document through video the parent-otters and the pups playing along the shoreline, TIWS reported.
The municipal government of Taganak and TIWS officials agreed to record the biology, habits and the behavior of the otters.
Jamalul said his office and the TIWS will closely coordinate with the DENR-9, which is also consulting with experts from the Biodiversity Management Bureau and the International Union on the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Otter Specialist Group.
Taganak Island is part of the Turtle Islands Wildlife Sanctuary which is Southeast Asia’s largest marine turtle sanctuary and a declared protected area under Republic Act 11038 (Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Law).