Endangered Green Turtle

killed for its Shell

By tfrnorthcyprus

A green turtle was killed by persons, who wanted to steal the animal’s shell according to the NGO “Nireas”. According to an announcement published today by Nireas, the dead body of a turtle missing its shell was found in Agia Napa only a few days after divers had spotted the same animal swimming nearby.

A green turtle (Chelonia mydas) had been spotted by divers swimming at the area of Protaras known as Green Bay. In a two-minute video shot by the divers, the young turtle is seen swimming among the area’s marine flora. However on Sunday, Nireas received a call from divers informing the NGO that the same turtle had been found dead at a beach in Agia Napa, missing its shell.

The green turtle is one of the two species of sea turtle that can be found in Cyprus – the second one being the also well-known caretta caretta. Both species are today endangered in the Mediterranean and are protected through the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention). Killing sea turtles is considered a felony according to national law, European directives and international agreements, the NGO stresses, asking the government to impose strict fines for the killing of endangered species and to improve the policing in order to avoid such actions.

Source: lemon CY.eu (click here for a link)