Guest guest Posted August 9, 2006 Report Share Posted August 9, 2006 Turtles 'not extinct yet' - New Straits Times*09 Aug 2006* <news ------------------------------ *KUALA TERENGGANU: The leatherback turtle is not extinct, only critically endangered. * According to Turtle Marine Ecosystem Centre (Tumec) director Kamaruddin Ibrahim, this is the situation in Terengganu. He said extinction meant the turtles no longer existed, which was not the case. Kamaruddin was commenting on a United Nations Environment Programme report that the leatherback turtle was effectively extinct in Malaysia. The report also stated that their nestings used to number in the thousands in the 1960s but had dwindled to a handful in recent years. " I wish UNEP had consulted us before publishing the report. It is very damaging to efforts to conserve the turtle, " he said when contacted. As at July, there had been five nestings with the department collecting 376 eggs. However, Kolej Universiti Sains Malaysia (Kustem) Turtle Research and Rehabilitation Department spokesman Prof Chan Eng Heng disagreed with Kamaruddin about the status of the species, saying the reduction is irreversible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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