Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/10/2/nation/19046098&sec=nation
Tuesday October 2, 2007
Earthquakes displace turtles
ALOR STAR: Strong currents from the recent earthquakes and aftershocks are believed to have washed the 50 Hawksbill turtles up on unfamiliar shores in Air Itam near here.
The turtles, known as penyu karah among the locals, were pushed together with logs, bottles and other garbage.
Of the 50 which ended up on the shores of Kuala Tunjang in Air Itam, two were found dead while six others were injured.
State Fisheries director Sani Mohd Isa said the turtles could have sustained injuries when they were crushed between logs or were trapped in nets.
We found wounds on some of the turtles. We fear that villagers may have released some of the injured turtles back to the sea without realising that they are hurt and need to be treated first, he said
http://thestar.com.my/archives/2007/10/2/nation/n_pg03bashah.jpg
[size=75]Beach find: Mohd Ali Harusellah (second from right), his mother Nor Bashah Mahamud and their relatives showing the turtles which they caught at the beach in Kuala Tunjang, Air Itam, on Monday.[/size]
The turtles were washed ashore on Saturday morning, he said, adding that it was the first time that turtles landed on Kuala Tunjang beach.
Fisheries personnel managed to save some of the turtles that were trapped between logs and stuck in the muddy areas yesterday.
The injured turtles will be treated in Pulau Sayak. After recovery, the turtles will be released from Pantai Merdeka, Sani said adding that the turtles could not be released from Kuala Tunjang because the beach was too muddy.
He noted that the logs and bottles were believed to be from Indonesia based on the labels found.
We do have penyu karah in our waters, so we are not sure if the turtles we found here were from Indonesian waters, he said.
Turtle and Marine Ecosystem Centre chief Kamarruddin Ibrahim said there was a high possibility that the recent multiple earthquakes in Indonesia and strong underwater movement had thrown the turtles and other sea creatures off balance.
