Turtle mystery

Editorial-December 17, 2013, 7:18 pm 

An extremely rare white turtle said to be worth about Rs. 50 million is reported to have been stolen from a private hatchery in Kosgoda. Two police teams have been deployed to trace it, we are told. The person who runs the place has told the media that, having turned down an offer of Rs. 35 mn from a Sri Lankan for the animal, he hired four security guards and even kept a guard dog to ensure its protection, but in vain.

In a country where invaluable artefacts have gone missing from the National Museum and very rare paintings from the President’s House, the disappearance of a reptile hasn’t come as a surprise to many. One only hopes that the poor creature is safe!

Turtles are born white due to an abnormal condition, but it is claimed in some quarters that their blood could neutralise malefic effects of planetary combinations on humans. We reported a few years ago that a powerful minister had, in the buff, got into a burlap sack filled with gingelly and stayed there overnight on his astrologer’s advice. There are also some wealthy yet vain people willing to pay any amount of money just to possess white turtles and other such rare animals.

Turtles are an endangered species and they must be protected whether they are black or white or green. But, one was surprised when one heard a senior police officer speak to a radio station yesterday about the missing turtle on condition of anonymity. Asked whether the so-called turtle hatcheries had obtained permission from the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWLC) to carry out their operations, he answered in the negative. But, he trotted out some lame excuses when he was asked why the police had taken no action against them.

It is said that these hatcheries help conserve turtles. That may be so, but since it is unlawful for private individuals or organisations to keep turtles, the DWLC should take over the task of conserving them without letting its work be outsourced to non-experts. Else, with the expansion of tourism, unauthorised turtle hatcheries are bound to mushroom along the coast as they are a major tourist attraction.

The bane of this country is that its laws are not properly enforced. The Fauna and Flora Act is implemented selectively or simply ignored at the behest of politicians and other influential people. In Ahungalle close to Kosgoda, a private zoo functioned for years though menageries are prohibited here. The authorities concerned turned a blind eye to it, in spite of numerous public complaints, even though some dangerous animals were kept there and visitors were exposed to danger. They were jolted into action only after a ‘pet’ lion had killed a schoolchild in 1997. The mini zoo was closed.

There are many people, especially the nouveau riche, who want to own elephants to boost their egos. The private ownership of elephants including those illegally captured and brutally tamed must be banned. Sadly, the government politicians, instead of liberating the jumbos from the clutches of vain bipeds who unflinchingly subject the poor animals to cruelty and exploitation, give away pachyderms including sucklings as if they had fathered them. It was only a few months ago that the ali potha or the so-called elephant register went missing under mysterious circumstances. Animal rights activists expressed fear that some politically backed thieves of elephants were trying to destroy the official records of domesticated elephants and/or capture more animals and register them.

Such is the callous disregard governments have for animal rights. The missing white turtle must be traced and those responsible for stealing it brought to book. And, the problem of unauthorised turtle hatcheries needs to be addressed and a solution found urgently.