Poachers deploy 'disturbing tactics' to steal turtle eggs in Cherating

New Straits Times

8 hours ago

KUANTAN: Poachers have been hastening the turtle egg-laying process near the Cherating Turtle Conservation Centre by carrying turtles emerging from the sea to pre-dug holes in the sand.
Once the eggs are laid and the mother turtle returns to the sea, the poachers quickly collect the eggs and flee.
Their actions were exposed after videos recorded by beach visitors went viral yesterday, leading to the arrest of a 51-year-old man today.
Pantai Cherating campsite caretaker, Ezza Ashilla Abdul Razak, said that every year during the nesting season, which lasts from March to September, several individuals are spotted roaming the beach to steal turtle eggs.
"They prepare holes in advance for the turtles to lay their eggs. When a turtle emerges from the sea, they carry it to the hole and in some cases, the holes were dug as far as 100m from the shoreline.
"Since artificial lighting can deter turtles from nesting, the individuals use minimal light and sometimes even bring the turtles into nearby bushes.
"After the eggs are laid, they either return the turtle to the shoreline or leave it among the bushes," she said when met at the campsite today.
Meanwhile, on yesterday's incident, Ezza Ashilla said a group of campers who had set up tents on the beach noticed a turtle coming ashore, followed by three men approaching it.
"The campers alerted me, and when I arrived, I saw the men attempting to carry the turtle toward the sand. When I confronted them, they abandoned the animal and fled the scene," she said, adding that she was unsure who had uploaded the videos of the incident to social media.
Meanwhile, a resort worker, who declined to be named, said poachers have been stealing turtle eggs for months, usually taking advantage of times when conservation rangers are not patrolling the area.
"Since the egg-laying process takes time, the poachers try to make it easier for the turtles so they can steal the eggs quickly. I have even heard incidents where they transported the turtles on motorcycles to the holes which were dug using their bare hands," he said.
It is understood that the stolen turtle eggs are sold for RM2.50 each and can sometimes fetch up to RM10.