SANDAKAN – Illegal turtle egg sellers have shifted online and their presence at markets has dwindled – a matter of concern to the Sandakan Wildlife Department.
A department official, Hussein Muin, said only one individual selling the eggs on WhatsApp had been detained so far this year, and details on the arrest will be revealed soon.
He added that conventional integrated operations in public places to curb the illegal trade were not bearing fruit.
We found that they (sellers) have stopped selling in public places in town and have started going online,” he told The Vibes.
The department had yesterday conducted an integrated operation named “Operasi Bersepadu Khazanah Telur Penyu” with police and their General Operations Force, the Customs and Immigrations Departments, the Sandakan Municipal Council, and other agencies.
It was the first operation to curb turtle egg sales this year. No one was arrested, although it was conducted at hotspots where sellers had been frequently seen.
To conceal their activities in public, the sellers previously used known hand signals to attract buyers.
However, this activity has reduced significantly, likely due to strict enforcement and CCTV cameras set up by the municipal council.
This means that sellers are now starting to use online platforms. Our intelligence team is also changing its investigation methods,” Hussein said.
“We hope that the public can assist us in our investigations by reporting to the Sabah Wildlife Department should they see an advertisement or people selling turtle eggs online.”
Turtle eggs sold in Sabah usually come from the green sea turtle species, or Chelonia mydas, which is fully protected under Sabah’s Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997.
Possession of turtle eggs in the state is an offence under the enactment and punishable with a maximum fine of RM50,000 or two years’ jail, or both upon conviction. – The Vibes, May 7, 2023
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