By Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz  The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) urged the public on Saturday to turn over to authorities any wildlife species that have fled after the Taal Volcano's eruption. Some rescued horses in the volcano island after the whole site was buried in volcanic ash (ALBERTO GARCIA /MANILA BULLETIN) Not only did the volcanic eruption drive thousands of people in the Taal Volcano Island and neighboring areas to evacuate, but the DENR noted that endangered and endemic animals within the Taal Volcano Protected Landscape (TVPL) could have also migrated to nearby communities after the active volcano ejected giant clouds of ash and lava last week. DENR Undersecretary Benny Antiporda advised the public to immediately turn over to authorities any wildlife species they see or unintentionally capture to allow these animals to be brought to wildlife rehabilitation centers for proper attention and care. "We are appealing to the members of the public to rescue and turn over to the DENR any wildlife species within the vicinity of Taal Volcano to ensure their safety," he said. A rufus hornbill was turned over to the DENR last Thursday by Bacoor City resident Flor Locson, who suspected that the bird she rescued came from TVPL. The hornbill which was "generally healthy despite being stressed" is currently at the Biodiversity Managament Bureau's (BMB) Wildlife Rescue Center in Quezon City, where it will be rehabilitated before releasing it to the wild. Rufous hornbill (Buceros hydrocorax), locally known as kalaw, is a large species of hornbill found only in the Philippines. It is included in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature as vulnerable species, which means the bird is near threatened or "may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future." Antiporda also asked the public “not to keep the endangered species as pets or eat them in case of food shortage as it is against the law.” DENR Assistant Secretary and concurrent BMB Director Ricardo Calderon said that rescued wildlife may be turned over to the DENR field offices in Batangas and Cavite. “The DENR field offices in Batangas—Calaca and Lipa—are ready to receive these animals once they are rescued,” Calderon said. “We have teams from the field offices on site that are helping in rescuing the animals in the peripheries of the area,” he added. Apart from wildlife species, Calderon said the BMB also helps in rescuing the companion and domesticated animals that are either turned over to the owners or the local government units in the area.