Turtle poachers turn to bodyguards

陜西 呂 品

All the kinds of sea turtles found in the Philippines are endangered. That means they are at risk of dying out. But now, the turtles have one less threat. Many people who used to collect their eggs to eat or to sell are now working to keep turtles safe.

Those people are called poachers.They took the eggs and caught the turtles illegally to sell them or eat their meat.Now, however, conservation organizations are teaching former poachers how to safely collect the eggs and protect them before they hatch. The people who do this are paid about 37 cents per egg. That is four times more than they would earn from selling them illegally.

Jessie Cabagbag is one of the former poachers who now helps the turtles. He grew up eating their eggs and meat. Now he collects the eggs and keeps them safe.He said the extra money he gets helps him pay for necessary things such as food and electricity. He also purchased a bicycle with three wheels. He uses it to take passengers from place to place. The money he earns from that helps with his costs when he cannot collect eggs.

Cabagbag is 40 years old. His wife and seven-year-old son sometimes help him collect turtle eggs. Since October,they have taken over 1000 eggs. Cabagbag said that once he received training and learned that the turtles were endangered,he stopped poaching. When the baby turtles hatch, many visitors come to watch them run down the beach and into the water. Cabagbag said seeing the turtles get safely into the water brings him a feeling of joy.

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Why did Jessie Cabagbag switch from poaching to helping sea turtles?