Love of sea turtles turns Philippine poachers into protectors

CURMA's operations director Carlos Tamayo, 44, helps fisherman and turtle patroller Jessie Cabagbag, 40, hold a mother turtle before it goes back to the sea, at Bacnotan, La Union, Philippines, December 21, 2022. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

LA UNION, Philippines (Reuters) - Armed with a wooden stick, a bucket and a headlamp, Philippine construction worker Johnny Manlugay hunts every night for the eggs of sea turtles on the pristine beaches of the northern province of La Union.

The 55-year-old can easily spot nesting sites, having been trained in his youth by his grandfather how to track the animals and their eggs, which his family traded at the time or ate.