DENR saves injured heron

An injured black-crowned night heron (nycticorax nycticorax) was rescued yesterday in Malanday, Valenzuela by a radio reporter and his crew and is now recuperating at the Wildlife Rescue Center of theDepartment of Environment and Natural-Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (DENR-PAWB).

Dr. Steven Toledo, head veterinarian of the center, said that the injured bird was brought to the center in Quezon City by radio reporter Roland Bola at about 8 a.m.

The bird was rescued by the dzBB radio team inside Villa Encarnacion Subdivison.

Toledo said the bird, whose gender was not immediately determined, had a wound in its left wing.

The heron may have flown into power and telephone lines fell injured on the street. But Toledo said it could be possible that the wound was caused by a pellet from an airgun.

"The wound is already several days old but it is possible that the bird was shot," he said Toledo.

The rescued bird has been subsequently named "Olan" in honor of its rescuer.

Toledo said that as the rescued heron was so badly injured, it will no longer be released after treatment and will instead be kept at the Wildlife Rescue Center as an educational exhibit.

"Its wing has been damaged. We have decided to just keep it at the center as an exhibit for wildlife education purposes," said Toledo.

The PAWB dispatched a monitoring team to Malanday to verify reports that herons are indeed being shot for sport.

The nycticorax are migratory birds native to Southeast Asian countries like Taiwan, (Java) Indonesia, (North) Borneo and the Philippines, that have apparently chosen the marshy mangrove areas of Valenzuela as their home, said Toledo. This is the reason they have earned a new name as "resident migrants."

Toledo said the night heron is basically a water bird that is active at night and roosts on mangrove trees locally known as "bakawan."

The heron have since been called by locals "bakaw-gabi" from the peculiar characteristics they have shown.

According to Toledo, the black-crowned night heron is not an endangered species and is frequently seen in marshlands and swampy areas where they feed on fish, crustaceans, frogs and small mammals. Their digestive acids are so strong that bones that are consumed simply dissolve in their stomachs.

Mariter Menia, city information officer, said that some 300 birds of probably the same species are also holding fort in two large clumps of trees in Barangay Isla near Malanday a low-lying perennially flooded area.

Reports have reached the DENR that local residents have laid their dirty hands on the night heron, turning them into delicious food for the table.

Most residents, possibly little aware of the impact on the environment and the eco-system, have allegedly been slaughtering a number for sale in the streets. Concerned residents then sought the assistance of the media who in turn made it known to authorities.