BE KIND TO OUR TURTLES
AND THE OBVIOUS NEED FOR THEIR PRESERVATION - PART 3


Besides the Cherating Turtle Sanctuary at Chendor Beach, Pahang, there is a turtle breeding station ("Pusat Penetasan Penyu") at Pasir Panjang Beach in Segari, near Pulau Pangkor, Perak. (Visit this pulau-pangkor.com website for the story).

There is also a Turtle Park at Pulau Selingaan, off Sabah, Malaysia, where tourists from all over the world come to watch turtles laying their eggs in their natural habitat on three designated islands where they are protected. (Read more about it here at mousetourstravels.com).

But sadly, the ecologically diverse waters around Sabah have been attracting illegal foreign vessels for many years. Marine department records over the past 3 years, showed that many Vietnamese, Chinese, and Filipino vessels have been detained for intrusion and illegal fishing.

To protect our marine resources, they (foreign fishermen) must be stopped from catching, trapping and killing the turtles. Already and unfortunately, the number of turtles in our waters is declining.

It used to be said that these young turtles were eaten by birds, crabs and other land animals before they reach the sea. And then they are eaten by bigger fishes when deep in the waters. All blames for the depletion and endangering the turtle species were alluded to the animal kingdom.

Well, it’s high time we impute blame to the illegal trawler fishermen from overseas, not just the bigger fishes or other animals in the sea.

We cannot discount humankind, because we know that humans too were responsible. And we cannot say we have no brains and intelligence, or we have frailties. Those fishes and animals eat the baby turtles because they were created so, as Nature’s plan and control of the eco-system for the benefit of all creatures, including humans.

But humans have no such excuse. We have no reason to kill the turtles, because it’s not part of our staple food, never been, if I may say, by any culture anywhere in this world.

Killing an already grown turtle, those that had successfully cleared some stages in their already difficult life process, and for unproven, nay if I may say so, for deceitful and quack medicinal purpose, is way too absurd for my thinking.

Maybe I don’t have a high IQ or EQ or whatever, but the notion that dead turtles have medicinal values is like saying that other dead animals all have medicinal values. Why not use dead rats? They’re plentiful too, enough to cater for all libidous males in this world, perhaps. And the idea of using dead turtles for medicinal purpose is much too gory and queer to be considered a joke.

No, killing turtles is no joke. Its inhumane, uncalled for, and those responsible must be brought to book and penalized properly.

Once we upset the eco-systems of the world, then we will all be in trouble. By we, I mean us, humankind. This has been said umpteenth times by umpteenth people in this world. I’m just repeating the sad truth.

If it doesn’t happen during our lifetime or in our generation, make no mistake, it will start to happen during our children’s generations and descendants.

Let’s all be wise.

"Give knowledge to a wise man and he will be yet wiser", so says someone famous in the past I forget.

Well, I say, give also knowledge to a stupid man or any man for that matter, and he will also be yet wiser, I’m sure.

As always, wise up, friends, (and me,too).