JERANTUT: Over five decades ago, five to six female giant softshell turtle s could be seen laying eggs daily - during the height of the nesting season in March and April - on the sandy banks of Sungai Tembeling in the Taman Negara area in Pahang.
According to Universiti Teknologi Mara researcher Mohd Ruzed Embong, besides the Taman Negara area, there was no recorded data of freshwater giant softshell turtles existing elsewhere in the country although some sightings had been reported by local communities. Not only that, the flesh of the softshell turtle was also said to have medicinal value when consumed.Concerned about the endangered reptile’s future, UiTM Shah Alam has set up a conservation centre here to breed giant softshell turtles, in collaboration with the residents of Kampung Gol in Tembeling Tengah near here, and the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia .
He said besides collecting the eggs themselves, the centre also purchased them from fishermen at RM3 each. "The eggs of the giant softshell turtle are highly sought after by the local community because people say it is more delicious than turtle eggs,” he told Bernama, adding the species woiuld become extinct if the theft of these eggs was not curbed.
Taman Negara Sungai Tembeling Endangered Species
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