Turtle For Sale: Banilad, Cebu

I was on my usual afternoon city walk-arounds when I saw this red pail attracting the attention of some passers-by as it had a turtle wiggling inside it! And this was at a very unlikely place... Barangay Banilad.

When I asked what kind of turtle it was, the 'owner' did not exactly know but offered that some folks call it a "chinese turtle". I asked if it was endangered and she said she does not think so as many folks have already dropped by and none told them that it might be so. She did tell that they already saw a similar kind being sold at a pet shop for about P5,000 though this one they were offering for just P1,500. Another onlooker, who, like me, also crowded around the turtle asked where it was found and the reply was somewhere in the mountains of Negros Oriental.

I checked out the web for similar pictures and I gather that this one is probably called the Chinese Softshelled Turtle with a scientific name of Pelodiscus Sinensis. That's the nearest that I think it may look like. And if it is so, then I think it really is not endangered and is even a faved eatable.

Well, nothing much of a story to tell, except that I fancied about seeing it up close, wiggling as if stressed and as per the lady talking on the video, it seemed disoriented as to what kind of place it was - in front of people passing by a sari-sari store with a manang grilling and frying bananas for snacks. Like the rest of the curious folks who stopped to watch, I marveled at how it snapped at the stick when poked in front of it. Now I think that might hurt on a finger!

Hmm, I had to be walking around Banilad, Cebu to see this hehe. And how many zoos in the world have I seen?! I'll start counting though am sure it'll be hard hehehe! Here's the video I took:



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