MANILA, Philippines – A US-based website offering wildlife trophy hunting adventures has pulled down a web page advertising exotic wildlife hunting in the Philippines, days after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) ordered an investigation into the matter.

The page’s URL (http://www.adventures411.com/Philippine_trophy_hunts.html) was not found on the server, but other pages of Adventures411.com are still up.

Environment Secretary Horacio Ramos called for the probe after it was reported that Adventures411 allegedly offered game hunting tours in the Philippines.

“The PAWB (Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau) was instructed to closely coordinate with the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) in the investigation, as well as to seek the help of other law enforcement authorities to immediately stop this illegal activity,” Ramos told The Philippine Star.

“Any hunting or collection of wildlife would be treated as an illegal act, and punishable under the law,” he added, citing Republic Act 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act.

According to a Mindoro Post article on the Dateline Philippines Web site, Adventures411.com promoted its wildlife hunting tours in Mindoro province by saying, “Nowhere else can a hunter collect the number of rare native Asiatic trophies on a single safari.”

“With China still closed to trophy hunters, these Philippine jungle safaris offer the only real opportunity today to collect some of these unique Asian species,” the article quoted Adventures411.com.

The fee for the 14-day jungle safari is reportedly $13,800. The “featured animals” include water buffaloes, forest buffaloes, bearded warty pigs and wild boars while the Saltwater Crocodile, Large Palm Civet Cat, Small Palm Civet Cat, Black Philippine Jungle Cat, Mouse Deer and Asian Sambar Deer were deemed as possibilities.

There was also a purported 20-day extended safari wherein a hunter can collect 5 to 6 trophy species.

Adventures411 is a “full-service consulting and booking agency representing only a handful of outfitters and guides who offer distinctive and superior outdoor adventure experiences.” Its tagline is “Your connection to worldwide adventure!”

Its Web site notes that it is a family-owned and operated agency with more than 20 years of experience. It offers personal one-to-one service and custom-tailored adventures to exclusive and exotic locales. It also mentioned the values of integrity, ethics and reliability.

The website has pages on Montana Fishing, Selway Adventures, Thailand Fishing, Australian Hunts, Idaho Hunts, Montana Hunts and Montana Lodge Hunts. Its contact address is 858 Sleeping Child Road, Hamilton, Montana.

The DENR, meantime, stressed that R.A. 9147 prohibits the hunting, killing, wounding, collecting, gathering, possessing, trading and transporting of wildlife species and other wildlife resources as well as their byproducts and derivatives.

Violators who harm species listed as critical would be fined P100,000 to P1 million and face imprisonment of 6 years to 12 years. – With reports from The Mindoro Post and Katherine Adraneda, The Philippine Star