KOTA KINABALU: It is alleged that much of the turtle eggs supplied to Peninsular Malaysia are from Sabah.
Head of the Turtles and Marine Ecosystem Centre (TUMEC) at Rantau Abang, Terengganu, Syed Abdullah Syed Abdul Kadir, has alleged that the turtle eggs could be easily smuggled and that the sensor at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) would not be able to detect the eggs.
Syed Abdullah also alleged that some of the turtle eggs at Peninsular Malaysia were obtained from Indonesia.
Meanwhile, Paul Basintal, director of Sabah Parks, said that it is unlikely that the turtle eggs that were smuggled to Peninsular Malaysia were from Sabah. He added that it is more likely to be from the Southern Philippines, smuggled to Sabah and later despatched to Peninsular Malaysia.
“The eggs were on transit in Sabah before they were brought to Peninsular Malaysia,” he claimed.
He also mentioned that he has been informed that the eggs could not be detected easily and could be smuggled using the courier service.
As for the sales of turtle eggs in Sandakan, Paul said that he believed the eggs were from the Southern Philippines.
During the Tanduo incident, the supply of turtle eggs went down, he said.
“But two weeks ago, the supply of turtle eggs went up again in Sandakan,” he said.
Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) district wildlife officer in Sandakan, Rashid Saburi, interjected that it was difficult for them to address the exploitation of turtle eggs in Sandakan.
“The eggs are sold by PTIs (illegal immigrants) and when we conduct our operation, they will suddenly disappear. It is as if there has been a leak of information,” he said.
He added that it was also difficult for Esscom to stop the illegal trading of the turtle eggs. As for his department, he said that they were short of manpower.