Taste for leatherback eggs contributes to Malaysian turtle's demiseby Hamish Townsend
Fri Feb 9, 12:20 PM ET
TERENGGANU, Malaysia (AFP) - The mass nestings of leatherback turtles on Malaysia's
beaches was once one of nature's great spectacles but since 2000, not a single baby
leatherback has scampered to the sea.
The demise of the iconic turtle, which many scientists say is now effectively extinct
here, is blamed on a local appetite for their eggs, coastal development, destructive
fishing practices -- and a heartbreaking scientific mistake.
"Frankly there is very little hope for the leatherback, judging by the nesting trends
and that none have hatched for six years," said Professor Chan Eng Heng of the
Universiti Terengganu Malaysia.
-snip-It is believed the breeding population is now too small to be sustainable. The previously
common Olive Ridley Turtle is also thought lost to the area, and the hawksbill and green
turtles are also in danger.
-snip- Full article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070209/sc_afp/malaysiaenvironment_070209163323