The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has stepped up its campaign against wildlife trafficking, apprehending 55 suspected illegal traders and confiscating 339 wild animals and exotic species in 71 enforcement operations from January to August 2026.
The seizures included 220 birds, 97 reptiles, 31 amphibians, as well as nine mammals, nine arachnids and nine insects, according to the DENR.
Birds accounted for nearly two-thirds of the animals confiscated during the eight-month period. Parrots—including cockatoos, cockatiels and macaws—figured prominently in seizures in the Visayas and Mindanao.
Central Luzon and Cagayan Valley, meanwhile, recorded many of the confiscations involving lovebirds, which are commonly kept as household pets.
Reptiles made up the second-largest category, with 79 lizards and 17 snakes seized. Most of the lizards were iguanas and geckos, while the snakes included vipers and pythons.
Among the notable operations, DENR personnel in Central Visayas confiscated 15 iguanas in separate enforcement activities. In Metro Manila, DENR-NCR personnel at the airport intercepted shipments containing 60 dried geckos and 50 endangered radiated tortoises.
Authorities also intercepted animals considered more unusual or rare in the illegal exotic pet trade. In the SOCCSKSARGEN region, DENR personnel apprehended a trader carrying two binturongs, also known as bearcats, and four gibbons.
In CALABARZON, authorities seized nine tarantulas representing five species in separate operations.
Environment Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna said sustained enforcement and cooperation among government agencies are essential to curbing wildlife trafficking.
“Protecting our wildlife requires sustained and decisive enforcement,” Cuna said, adding that the DENR is strengthening coordination, investigation and case preparation to ensure violations are properly addressed.
The DENR has been working with the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Customs, local governments and other agencies to detect and stop wildlife poaching, illegal possession and trafficking.
The agency said the crackdown is being carried out under Republic Act No. 9147, or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act. The law prohibits the unauthorized collection, hunting, possession, transport and sale of wildlife, with heavier penalties for violations involving threatened and critically endangered species.
The latest figures follow a larger number of wildlife confiscations recorded nationwide in 2025. Regional offices reported 976 confiscated animals last year, including 243 snakes, 159 lizards, five Visayan leopard cats or maral, a Philippine palm civet or alamid, sugar gliders, five species of scorpions and at least 394 millipedes.
The DENR also reported that its personnel at Ninoy Aquino International Airport seized nearly 7,000 orchids and 255 tropical plants in 2025. The plants were brought to the DENR-NCR nursery in Quezon City, where they remain under the agency’s care while investigations proceed.
CALABARZON has recorded 62 apprehended individuals since 2025, or 45 last year and 17 so far in 2026. Regions across Mindanao have reported a combined 36 individuals during the same period.
The DENR is also urging the public to report suspected wildlife trafficking, including the illegal sale and purchase of wild animals through online platforms.
“Wildlife protection is a shared responsibility,” Cuna said, while stressing that the DENR will continue working with law-enforcement agencies and the public to protect the country’s biodiversity.
The department said it will maintain its enforcement campaign against wildlife poaching and illegal trade as part of efforts to preserve the country’s natural resources and protect threatened species for future generations.