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People Call For Action Against Sabah Family Who Had Turtle Eggs For Dinner

Possession and consumption of turtle eggs are illegal in Sabah.

Cover image via 1StopBorneo Wildlife (Facebook)

A family in Sabah recently found themselves in hot water after posting seemingly innocent photos of their dinner

According to The Star, the Facebook post was first shared by the family member of a former assemblyman in Beluran.

Netizens who saw the post pointed out that the dinner, which featured an array of seafood on banana leaves among other dishes, also included servings of turtle eggs.

The sale and consumption of eggs for all species of turtles are banned in Sabah.

Following the backlash online, the post was taken down.

However, the photos have reemerged on the 1StopBorneo Wildlife Facebook page with many people online calling for action to be taken against the family.

The post read, "There are still people eating turtle eggs! The case is in Beluran, Sabah. Please do not eat turtle eggs that are going extinct. Whoever knows these people, please inform the police. If you see posts about people selling or eating turtle eggs, please report as well."

Aduh!!! Masih ada lagi orang yang makan telur penyu! Kes di Beluran, Sabah. Janganlah makan telur penyu yang semakin...

Posted by 1StopBorneo Wildlife on Saturday, February 13, 2021

The Sabah Wildlife Department has acknowledged the incident

Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga told The Star that he had seen the viral photos but has not received any report of the incident yet.

Consuming turtle meat on a regular basis should be stopped as it can result in severe, even fatal, poisoning to humans, warns a local expert:

Previously, Shopee announced that they are banning all sales of turtle eggs after Twitter users notified them of a seller on their online shopping platform:

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