Despite being strongly forbidden by law, sea turtle shell-based souvenirs are still widely sold in Berau, especially those made from the Hawksbill Sea Turtle’s shell. Our Indonesian partner organization PROFAUNA Borneo investigated Adji Dilayas Market, Berau, East Kalimantan, on 16 October and found eight shops selling large quantities of these illegal souvenirs.
The finding was immediately reported to the Deputy Mayor of Berau who has been showing great support for sea turtle conservation. The Deputy Mayor then deployed the local authority to respond to PROFAUNA’s report.
Officials from Adji Dilayas Market went to the scene right away and seized hundreds of Hawksbill Sea Turtle shell-based souvenirs. “We highly appreciate the rapid and positive response from the government in our effort to curb sea turtle based souvenirs, as it is forbidden by laws,” said Bayu Sandi, the coordinator of PROFAUNA Borneo.
This article was published on 17 October 2016 by our Indonesian partner organization PROFAUNA and slightly modified. Please follow this link for the original article on PROFAUNA’s website: https://www.profauna.net/en/content/officials-seized-hundreds-sea-turtle-shell-based-souvenirs-market-berau-east-kalimantan#.WEb4p-mQzcs