Swampy Terengganu island doubles as turtle graveyard

Carnage exposed: An environmentalist looking at turtle shells on an island in Terengganu. In the background are discarded fishing nets in which the turtles became entangled and died. — NORAFIFI EHSAN/The Star

EXCLUSIVE: KUALA KERTEH: In the middle of a river mouth leading towards the sea, just a five-minute boat ride from the sleepy jetty of a fishing village here, lies the turtle graveyard – an island where local fishermen dumped dead turtles for years.

On their way back from sea, the fishermen would stop and throw the carcasses on the island, usually far from the bank to hide them from view.