Dear PAO,

I am a self-confessed animal lover. I’ve been taking care of different breeds of cats and dogs through the years. During the pandemic, I saw a lot of documentaries about turtles and fell in love with them. Because of this, I plan to get a turtle as a pet. I asked around and realized that getting pet turtles is not as easy as getting pet cats or dogs. I was also informed that there are additional documents needed in owning turtles. Because of this, I wish your Office can give me information about what legal documents to apply for and from what government agencies, so that I can legally own turtles. Thank you in advance for your advice. God bless us all!

Kaitlin

Dear Kaitlin,

The law that is applicable to your concern regarding ownership of a turtle is Republic Act (RA) 9147, known as the “Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.” This law was passed as part of the policy of the State to conserve and protect wildlife species and to regulate the collection and trade of wildlife. (Sec. 2) The provisions of this law are enforceable for all wildlife species found in all areas of the country. (Sec. 3). Under this law, it is the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) that has jurisdiction over all terrestrial plant and animal species, which includes turtles and tortoises. (Sec. 4)

The DENR together with the Department of Agriculture issued a joint implementing rules and regulations (IRR) that prescribes the procedures and guidelines for RA 9147. This IRR contains important and specific provisions related to your concern. In general, owning and trading exotic pet animals such as turtles requires registration from the DENR for issuance of proper permits. This is because under Article 3, Section 26 of this IRR, no person or entity shall be allowed possession of wildlife unless such person or entity can prove financial and technical capability and facility to maintain said wildlife. A Certification of Wildlife Registration is thus issued by the DENR to persons or entity that can prove compliance to this requirement in maintaining wildlife.

It is also important to check whether your source is legally permitted to sell or trade wildlife animals. Under the IRR, a Wildlife Collector’s Permit and Wildlife Farm Permit is issued by the DENR to persons or entity that are authorized to collect parental or founder stock of wildlife and breed their collected stock for purposes of trade. (Chapter 3, Article 1, Sec. 17).

Furthermore, it should also be noted that the local transport of wildlife animals requires additional permit in the form of a Local Transport Permit which can be secured from the nearest DENR office. (Ibid, Sec. 10)

It is imperative that owners of wildlife creatures, such as turtles, secure the aforementioned necessary permits in order to legally own and transport such animals since possession thereof without the necessary certifications will result in its confiscation in favor of the government and subject to penalties of fine and imprisonment, as provided by law.

We hope that we were able to answer your queries. This advice is based solely on the facts you have narrated and our appreciation of the same. Our opinion may vary when other facts are changed or elaborated.