KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) — Malaysian authorities are carrying out night patrols near endangered Hawksbill turtle nesting sites after 4,000 eggs were stolen, according to reports Sunday.
State fisheries officials have begun the patrols near the turtle hatcheries in southern Malacca state amid fears of more thefts during the nesting period between May and September, the Star daily reported.
Chief Minister Mohammad Ali Rustam said he would investigate how the eggs, worth 10,000 ringgit (3,089 dollars), could have been stolen over a month-long period from 30 turtle nesting sites along the coastline, it added.
"I will ask the (State council) member in charge of agriculture and rural development and fisheries department to look into the matter," he told the paper.
Malacca has the largest number of Hawksbill turtle landings in Malaysia.
It is illegal to collect turtle eggs without a permit from the fisheries department, with offenders facing a fine of 1,000 ringgit (309 dollars), but turtle eggs are still being sold, the Star reported.
The World Conservation Union lists the Hawksbill turtle as critically endangered. A surge in demand for exotic turtles and eggs in Southeast Asia has been blamed for fuelling the rampant illegal trade.
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