Female turtle’s death being investigated

KOTA KINABALU: Wildlife officials are trying to determine the cause of death of a female turtle that was found on a beach in Kota Belud on Tuesday.

Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said the turtle, which was estimated to be at least 30 years old, was bleeding from its respiratory tract.

“It could have been an infection. Our veterinarians are trying to find out what happened to it,” he said yesterday.

Augustine said the public stumbled across the 94cm-long dead turtle at the Lok Kelia beach, and the department’s Wildlife Rescue Unit later retrieved the carcass for post-mortem.

The female turtle is believed to have fed on cultivated seaweed before its death.

“While there were no signs of changes in its gastrointestinal tract, we found some seaweed – the type that is grown for human consumption,” Augustine said.

The turtle may have visited one of those farms for food, he added.