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  Bernama 29 Sep 06
Scientist Wants Ban On Sale Of Leatherback Turtle Eggs

The Star 25 Sep 06
Terengganu traders selling turtle eggs

KUALA TERENGGANU: Market traders here are shying away from selling local turtle eggs. But they have no qualms about selling turtle eggs brought in from Sabah or Indonesia and are even promoting them as a delicacy for buka puasa.

Fresh turtle eggs are sold at RM10 per pack of five while half-boiled eggs are priced at RM16.

A trader at the Payang Central Market here, Ahmad Sukhri Abdullah, 56, said he had been approached by dealers to sell local turtle eggs but turned them away.

“The local eggs are cheaper but I do not sell them. We have an agent who supplies eggs from outside the state,” said Ahmad Sukhri, adding that most market traders there preferred to sell such eggs.

He said the “imported” eggs could be stored for only a few days before they turned bad.

“There is a demand for turtle eggs here. Customers include those from other states who travel all the way here for turtle eggs,” he said, adding that the eggs were known for their medicinal properties.

“Turtle eggs are also widely used by alternative medicine practitioners to treat impotency,” he added.

The market was a hive of activity, with an array of delicacies and dishes sold for buka puasa. Popular items included the ayam percik, cendol and kuih.

Bernama 29 Sep 06
Scientist Wants Ban On Sale Of Leatherback Turtle Eggs

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 (Bernama) -- The Terengganu government should emulate Sabah and Sarawak in banning the sale of turtle eggs to prevent extinction of the species, according to an environmental activist.

Prof Chan Eng Heng, a lecturer at the Science and Technology University College Malaysia (Kustem), said a study had shown that consumption of turtle eggs and fishing activities that destroyed the jelly fish, their staple diet, had contributed to the extinction of the leatherback which was once famous in Terengganu.

"If we ban the sale of turtle eggs, the demand will eventually die out," she told reporters after the launch of a turtle protection programme and the "Celebrities Dive With Shark For Charity" cheque presentation here Friday.

Terengganu's Rantau Abang beach used to be the leatherbacks' favourite spot to lay their eggs but over the years their numbers have diminished drastically due to sea pollution.

According to statistics, a total of 800 turtle egg nests were found in Rantau Abang in 1984. Last year, there was only one.

Chan said the problems were also affecting the ridley and green turtle species but leatherback seemed to be affected the most.

"We should remember that they are the same turtles that come here to lay their eggs every year. They are not from a new generation or from elsewhere. "If we don't ban the harvesting and sale of these eggs, one day there will be no more turtle as we have killed the last of the species," she said.

The TV3 turtle protection programme will highlight awareness messages and exhibitions on the species.
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