Aired (March 24, 2024): Kinagiliwan online ang grupo ng smooth-coated otters sa Tawi-tawi. Pero alam n'yo ba na may isa pang klase ng otters na matatagpuan sa Palawan? Panoorin ang video.
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Watch episodes of 'AHA!' every Sunday morning on GMA Network, hosted by Drew Arellano. #AHAGMA #AHAmazingLearning
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00:00 Come here!
00:01 This February, a Filipino Coast Guard posted a photo of this turtle island, Tawi-Tawi, featuring a wild sea creature.
00:08 The fish woke up, they quickly caught it, and ate it with their bare hands.
00:14 What?
00:21 Oh wow!
00:25 Okay, are you familiar with this animal?
00:29 Video uploader Rod Nigumahad said that this animal is the first time he sees it in his entire life.
00:35 According to some netizens, these are sea otters.
00:40 According to the Switzerland-based International Union for Conservation of Nature or IUCN,
00:50 there are 13 species of otters in the world.
00:53 Some live on land, some in freshwater, and others in the sea.
00:57 Now, there is only one species that is fully aquatic, and that is the sea otter.
01:02 According to the expert, sea otters are not the only species of otters in Tawi-Tawi.
01:08 It was identified as a smooth-coated otter.
01:12 Smooth-coated otters are quite big.
01:16 These smooth-coated otters are classified as amphibians, or they live on the same water and land.
01:25 That makes it different from the real sea otters,
01:28 which are living on the sea, on land, sleeping, and giving birth.
01:34 They are different there.
01:36 They need to go into the mangroves to rest.
01:41 But did you know that there is one species of otter that can only be found in Asia?
01:46 They are the smallest species of otter in the world, the Asian small-clawed otter.
01:53 Here in the Philippines, only in Palawan, Asian small-clawed otters live.
01:58 As their name suggests, their hands are really small compared to other species of otters.
02:03 A rehabilitation center for otters in Palawan is planned.
02:08 The body of the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development is the family of 17-year-old Allie.
02:15 Allie's mother, Diana, has been taking care of rescued otters for 10 years.
02:22 They heard the cries of otters.
02:25 They ran to look for the otters.
02:30 They saw that one otter was caught in a snare trap made of nylon.
02:38 They saw a person holding the snare trap.
02:43 One of the otter's siblings was biting the person holding the snare trap and her sibling to save her.
02:53 But the person holding the otter let go of the person she saw, my mother.
03:01 A few weeks after the otters were taken care of, they tried to get rid of the otter.
03:08 But the two otters were caught in the trap by the poachers.
03:12 Allie was lucky that the otters were able to save them.
03:16 But of course, it is the responsibility of the people, the community, or the citizens to inform the proper authority.
03:24 Why? Because the proper authority is the one who knows the details of the otter.
03:31 So, it is the coordination and help that will help to take care of the otter.
03:39 The family asked for tips from government and non-governmental organizations on how to take care of the otters.
03:46 Like what kind of fish should be fed here.
03:50 Usually, the otters eat 2 kilos of fish a day.
03:56 Since they are two, it's about 4 kilos.
04:00 And why it is important for them to experience the natural environment.
04:06 They need to go out every day since it's boring if they are just in their enclosure.
04:14 So, we let them go out either here in our creek or in the beach.
04:21 But out of all the otter species, they are the least fond of water.
04:26 They spend 70% of their lives on land and only 30% in water.
04:32 In 2022, Diana was nominated for the Otter Oscar Award by a conservationist community, the International Otter Survival Fund or IOSF.
04:42 Now, Ali is also active in taking care of the otters
04:46 because her family aims to engage the children in taking care of the wildlife.
04:51 Some of the otter's pets have become best friends with the otters.
04:58 They are very playful.
05:02 But sometimes, they can be chill.
05:05 They are also very squeaky and noisy.
05:09 But they get along with other animals.
05:13 When an otter grows up, it usually becomes a surrogate parent.
05:20 They feed and grow up.
05:22 They get an imprintation.
05:24 If the otter has a companion, the otter becomes an imprinted companion.
05:29 They become a source.
05:31 That's what the otter sees as a family.
05:34 But if the otter sees the wild,
05:37 the expert reminds us that they should not be given food right away.
05:41 That's a drawback because every time the otter sees a human, it thinks it's food.
05:46 It can get hurt.
05:49 If the otter doesn't feed the human, the otter will get close to the human and catch it.
05:54 So, the otter has repercussions by doing so.
05:58 Like in other countries,
05:59 you can see otters in the river or in the pond.
06:04 They are just playing, taking pictures, and posing.
06:07 But they are not holding the otter.
06:09 They are not feeding the otter.
06:11 It's letting them do what is natural for them.
06:15 And you respect the boundaries.
06:18 Nature and animals are together.
06:21 And usually,
06:24 if a person dies,
06:27 nature will survive.
06:29 But if nature dies,
06:31 and the animals in there,
06:33 humans will not survive.
06:35 So, those two should help each other.
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