The Star
Friday, 6 April 2012
KUALA TERENGGANU: The
effort to save the green turtles is in peril as at least 11 dead turtles have
been washed ashore in the state in the first two months this year.
“We believe the latest turtle
deaths were due to them being caught in illegal fishing gear.WWF Malaysia
executive director and chief executive officer Datuk Dr Dionysius Sharma said
reports from the state Fisheries department as well as from the public showed
the carcasses of green turtles washed ashore in the beaches in Marang, Dungun,
Kemaman, Kuala Terengganu and Setiu.
“The carcasses discovered had the
same conditions and marks consistent of interaction with such gears,” he said
in a statement recently. Dr Dionysius said five of the carcasses in
Kemaman, which were discovered by a local fisherman, had nylon ropes and rock
tied to it. “We believe the turtles had been killed and subsequently sunk
to destroy any evidence of the heinous act.
“The placing of illegal nets
along the shoreline has also been suspected to attribute to death of many
turtles in recent years,” he said. He added that there were also cases
where some of the turtles were found with its skulls crushed. Painful sight: The carcasses of green
turtles washed ashore on beaches in Kuala Terengganu.
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