TAGANAK ISLAND, Tawi-Tawi (MindaNews / 5 Nov) — With reports that some of the sea otters found here were being hurt or killed by locals, the municipal government is considering captive breeding to help promote awareness and protect the species from harm.

Taganak Vice Mayor Hji Mohammad Faizal H. Jamalul, in an interview with MindaNews on Monday, said that the municipality is also considering the drafting of penalties to prevent locals from harming the species. 

Locals and government officials here say there are at least two sea otters hanging out around Taganak Island’s beaches and neighborhoods.

Jamalul said he would be meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy (MENRE) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) this month for guidance on the possibility of captive care. 

“Ito po aking plan dyan sa ating sea otters, kasi nasasayangan ako, before pumunta po sila, tatlo lang po sila, nagiging 13 na noong araw, pero napapabayaan. Minsan, namamatay sila kung saan saan,” Jamalul said. 

Around the island, locals said the sea otters were endangering some of their children, who would approach the wild animals and get bitten. 

Jamalul said that the sea otters would be better protected if they are under government care. 

Individuals who, he said, would harm the creatures could face penalties or fines, but said they were still working on the details. 

Uncertain behavior

Municipal Tourism Officer Abrille Y. Oraiz told MindaNews there were at least 10 incidents of bites from the wild animal since it was first recorded in 2020. 

No rabies cases were recorded from the bite victims. 

The locals call the mammals “anjing laut,” Malay for sea dogs, as it does not have a local name. The otters, according to personnel from the MENRE in the area, could have drifted towards Taganak through driftwood from Malaysia, which is closer to Taganak than the other islands of the Philippines. 

Aside from that, the sea otters have reportedly bred and gave birth to at least one pup last October, with the offspring already being relocated by the adults. 

Some of the locals also think that the remaining otters are both males; MindaNews could not also independently determine this. 

Oraiz said that the otters have found the presence of police, maritime, and other coastal sites as secure habitats, as the humans in the area kept their distance and gave them fish whenever they are around. 

The otters also reportedly waited for fishermen returning home from their daily catch. 

The numbers differ

According to sources like Oraiz, the numbers were as high as seven; Vice Mayor Jamalul said it went up to 13. 

MindaNews obtained a photo of a group of four sea otters contributed by locals in the area. 

The locals here, Oraiz said, were being educated not to harm or kill otters as these could be tourist attractions. 

For its part, MindaNews was able to take at least two sets of videos of sea otters from different parts of the island as it was preparing to leave towards Bongao on board the BRP Mariano Alvarez on Monday. 

As a group of visitors attending the 78th Adlaw sin Turtle Islands was leaving Taganak around noon of Nov. 3, Monday, the sea otters were found picking through the fish caught in nets under an unfinished pier by the Taganak Bay. 

The team was also able to take a video of a pair of otters making its way from the beach towards an inland source of water earlier that day as the crew was interviewing locals. 

MindaNews could not independently determine whether there were two sea otters left from the first sighting in 2020, or whether these were just undocumented sightings of different pairs around the island. 

Oraiz said the sea otters appeared to coexist peacefully with sea turtles, with locals reporting no evidence of predatory behavior towards the sea turtles and their eggs. (Yas D. Ocampo / MindaNews)