A fisherman in Bulacan got the biggest surprise of his life when instead of shrimps and fishes that he was expecting to catch on his net, three baby sharks were among the wiggling marine resources he considered his catch for the day.
But Rex Arceo said he released the baby sharks back into the Hagonoy River.
A screengrab from the "Dami Mong Alam, Kuya Kim" report
He just didn't know if the baby sharks survived because they were already weak when he released them back into the water.
When asked why he decided not to keep them, Arceo said he knew that it is prohibited to catch sharks and remove them from their habitat.
Animal expert Dr. Romulo Bernardo said the three sharks caught by Arceo are called Bull Sharks.
Bull sharks, he said, are often seen on the shallow side of the river where their mothers usually give birth.
He said the mother shark leaves her baby sharks on the river because there is less predator that can hurt them.
In a recent episode of "Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho," the story of fisherman Roldan de Jesus who also caught a baby bull shark was featured. De Jesus caught the shark from the Calumpit river and claimed that it was alive when caught but seemed to be getting weak.
He brought home the baby shark but the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), upon learning of the incident, went to his house and examined the baby shark.
BFAR explained that an adult bull shark can grow up to 11 feet and is known to be aggressive. Bull sharks are not known to hurt or kill when caught. They are included in the list of protected species or threatened species.