An encounter with teeny-weeny pawikans

(Photo Credits: Jiru Rada)

Year in and year out, I have been too busy with my academic responsibilities that I seldom have time to do something else. Ever since coming to UP, I have taken all summer/midyear terms so what is supposed to be “vacation time” was instead spent poring through books and readings. I go home after school then go to school again tomorrow and so on and so forth. I am what can be called “taong bahay”.

Fast forward to November 17, 2015. It was 9:10 in the evening. The person in charge of the Pawikan Conservation Center in Morong, Bataan was lecturing the class about the do’s and don’ts of patrolling the beach. Tired from the grind of the travel from Manila, I was barely listening to him. The faint light of the mini-amphitheatre and the stark darkness of the evening sky seem to be lulling me to sleep. Then the guy sent to check on the pawikan eggs said, “Mayroon po.”

Upon hearing the most interesting news said all night, I was stirred awake. I was not too optimistic that I will be seeing a pawikan in the flesh since “Chairman” said that pawikans laying eggs in the shore does not happen every night. Since four pawikans were seen the night prior, the pessimist in me came out when I considered the game of averages.

Nakalabas na ba yung mga nguso?, Chairman asked.

Napisa na, nakalabas na po, said his aide.

That did the trick for me. I will be seeing real pawikans up close after all. The bits of sand from the beach that found their way to my shoes was bothersome but I temporarily forgot about it as excitement flooded inside of me. After last-second reminders about handling the hatchlings, I was finally able to get a glimpse of the little creatures.

Aided by flashlights that illuminated the basin, I saw the hatchlings scuttle through the sand. The grey little pawikans seemed to have camouflage as they had the same color as the sand in their temporary container. Prof. Rara later explained that their real color is actually black and they seem grey because they are covered by the grey sand. Their tiny black eyes reflected the light from the cameras and the flashlights as they flap their limbs to move about.         

Upon the insistence of the class, we were allowed to touch and hold the pawikans in our hands. Chairman agreed  on the condition that we will not post the photos we will take online since it might offend some animal rights advocates. I myself got a photo with a pawikan in my palms. I am not into animals that much but that very moment was special for me since pawikans are endangered species with a 1 out of 100 survival rate. I just hope the one I held would be able to grow and live long.

(Photo Credits: Jiru Rada)

When we went out to look for pawikans laying eggs on the beach, my hopes were really up after seeing the hatchlings. The shoreline we patrolled was 1.5 kilometers long and it was a struggle all throughout because the sand moves from under your feet, seemingly pushing you towards the incoming waves. People in Bataan said the beach is “nangunguha” and I guess that the loose sand is the main reason why.

The walk was really tiring but while I was sitting on the sand viewing the moon on the horizon, I realized that I wanted to have more of this. The unique experience of travelling to a place where I have never been to before was exhilarating and refreshing. Even if we were not able to witness a pawikan laying eggs, this part of the Bataan trip was easily my favourite. I realized that taking a break every once in a while could actually be productive since it helps clear the mind.

(Photo Credits: Jiru Rada)

Knowing about the low survival rate of pawikans also changed the way I view things such as water pollution, reclamation and poaching. The plight of the pawikans would be on the back of my mind everytime I am in the Mall of Asia and every time I am on the beach.

And as if to complete the trip to the Pawikan Conservation Center, I saw a grown-up pawikan on the morning we left the center. There were grown-up pawikans in the  pawikan-shaped “pond” in the amphitheatre which I did not see the night before. Unfortunately, one of them had a cut-off limb. From there I assumed that the pawikans in there were actually unfit to be released to the ocean again.

(Photo Credits: Jiru Rada)

To sum it up, my encounter with the pawikans changed me in such a way that made me want to support efforts to conserve their race. The entire Bataan trip also surfaced my desire to travel as a means of unwinding after the grit and grind of school. I would embark on more travels once I graduate to acquire the indescribable but ultimately satisfying feeling of exploring other places and having new experiences.