KUALA TERENGGANU: The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Malaysia has urged the
government to amend the Fisheries Act 1985 to ban the eating of turtle eggs.
WWF Terengganu Turtle
Conservation Programme head Rahayu Zulkifli said the sale of turtle eggs openly
shows lack of public awareness although many are aware that turtles are
threatened with extinction.
“WWF fears that slow government
action in banning eating of turtle eggs will cause extinction as landing of
four species of turtles, the leatherback, hawksbill, green and olive ridley,
off Terengganu coast has dropped.
“So far, only the leatherback
turtle eggs are banned but WWF wants the ban on eating of turtle eggs to cover
all species,” she told Bernama here yesterday.
Rahayu said many tourists visit Terengganu to sample turtle eggs
as they can be easily buy them as Sabah and Sarawak had banned the sale and
eating of turtle eggs.
The Malaysian government last year signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) on the management and conservation of turtles in the Indian
Ocean and Southeast Asia (IOSEA) which seek to protect endangered species but
no follow-up was done.
WWF also submitted a memorandum
on the importance of baning the sale and eating of turtle eggs to Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak last year but no progress was made. — Bernama
