Bid to save more turtles

Date: 12 October 2011
By: Farik Zolkepli
Source: The Star

KEMAMAN: Newly formed Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia (TCS) is hoping for three nesting banks along Sungai Kemaman here to be gazetted as a turtle conservation area by the Wildlife and National Parks department.

TCS terrapins conservation project manager Chen Pelf Nyok said six nesting banks along Sungai Terengganu, Sungai Dungun and Sungai Besut had already been gazetted for river terrapin conservation in the state.

“We hope the department can gazette Sungai Kemaman too as the efforts to save the river terrapins have achieved incredible results in preserving the marine life.

“It is sad to see people still rampantly collecting terrapin eggs here in the absence of any protection from the department,” she told The Star yesterday.

She said the gazetting of the three locations would go a long way in terrapins conservation efforts as TCS along with the department and local villagers along Sungai Kemaman had worked diligently to save the endangered marine life.

Chen said that while the nesting banks had yet to be gazetted as a turtle conservation area, TCS had already started its conservation effort in the area, especially in Kampung Pasir Gajah.

“In the nesting period from January until March this year, a total of 420 terrapin eggs were incubated in Kampung Pasir Gajah,” she added.