Carcass of green turtle believed killed for its eggs, found in Pulau Kapas

KUALA TERENGGANU, May 26 -- The carcass of a female green turtle was found floating with the marks of being slashed in the waters of Pulau Kapas, believed to have been killed by an irresponsible party who stole its eggs.

Secretary of the Kapas Conservation Society, Mohd Farith Rezza Isa said the carcass was found by a resort operator on the island at 2.50 pm today.

"During our initial inspection, we found two slash marks, namely, on the lower part of the turtle's body and on its neck.

"However, all its internal organs were still in good condition without any signs of swelling. There were also  no cracks in its upper carapace. This strengthens our belief that the turtle's death was recently," he said in a statement today.

He added that after discussing with several turtle researchers from Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), the association felt that the cause of death was due to the taking away of the turtle’s eggs through the method of killing and splitting its stomach.

"We do not dismiss the possibility that this cruel act was committed by foreign fishermen. However, if this was so, why was the turtle’s carcass discarded when some of its other parts still have commercial value.

"This is very worrying as turtle eggs theft has reached the point of killing the mother turtle. The authorities need to issue a warning to all turtle conservation volunteers and call on the public to report any suspicious activity on the beach," Mohd Farith said.

The discovery of the carcass was reported to the Terengganu Fisheries Department and he called for stern action by the authorities and an investigation paper be opened so that the incident would not recur.

-- BERNAMA