News
Like lambs to the slaughter
View(s):The gentle and docile turtle has suffered greatly due to human activity. When these gentle creatures are not being killed for their flesh, their eggs are plundered, in addition pollution and coastal development too take heavy toll of lives .
Officials examining the carcasses of turtles
Story and pix by Jayarathna Wickramaarachchi
Another artful way of exploiting these amphibians has been to keep turtles in so-called ponds or nurseries, as happens in Kosgoda. Visitors wishing to see these captive turtles are charged rupees thousand per ticket.
On January 13, on information provided by the Mahawewa fisheries officials, a joint police-navy team raided a centre in the Wennappuwa-Ulhitiyawa, where an organized gang hunting and slaughtering turtles was exposed.
Officers carrying out the raid discovered 14 turtles; three of which had been butchered. Four of the turtles were found to be alive and were released into the ocean.
Two suspects who were involved in slaughtering the amphibians fled and the police are now carrying out investigations to arrest them.
Baby turtles kept as exhibits in 'nurseries' at Kosgoda
Officials involved in the raid said the turtles – captured in deep sea- had been brought ashore using three boats
The fisheries officials handed over the carcasses of the turtles as well as implements used in butchering them to the District Court at Marawila.
Environmental lawyer Jagath Gunawardene in a statement said, turtles are identified as an endangered species and are red listed at national as well as at international level.
He emphasized that the creatures must be conserved at all costs.
Newly hatched turtles make their way back to the ocean