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The
MCSS banner in Freedom Square
Photo Jeanne Mortimer |
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The
march through Victoria began at the Ministry of
Environment's headquarters at the Botanical Gardens and made
its way through town to Freedom Square. Over 800
banner-waving enthusiasts, wearing "Save the
Turtle" T-shirts, participated in the march. The
majority of marchers were school children from Mahé,
Praslin and La Digue, as well as staff from the Ministry of
Environment, Seychelles Island Foundation, Seychelles Centre
for Marine Research and Technology, Seychelles Defence Force
and Coast Guard, the Maritime Training College and many
more. The Marine Conservation Society was also in the crowd
of marchers attracting the
attention of Seychellois and Tourists alike, calling on
local authorities to protect the Seychelles' turtles.
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The
march in Victoria. Photo
Jeanne Mortimer |
In his speech at the end of the march, the Minister of
Environment, Mr Ronny Jumeau, countered arguments suggesting
that the turtle populations had recovered sufficiently to
accommodate a renewal of hunting. Minister Jumeau
highlighted the turtles' long age to maturity and breeding
patterns to show that simply allowing the species a few
years to recover had in no way created a population that
could tolerate even minimal levels of poaching. The public
was presented with facts, figures and photographs about the
plight of turtles’ in an outdoor exhibition in Freedom
square.
In an interview with the press, Minister Jumeau explained
that turtle meat had always been a much sought after
delicacy and people, mainly the older generation, simply
were not convinced that they were going to eat too much, as
it was only eaten on special occasions. Some have even
suggested having seasonal hunting permits would keep the
balance between exploitation and conservation. "But
when are you going to harvest turtles?” the Minister
queried “The easiest way to catch a turtle is when it
comes ashore to lay eggs, which is exactly when you
shouldn't be taking them".
During a presentation earlier in the week, local turtle
expert, Jeanne Mortimer pointed out that “only one in
every 1,000 to 10,000 turtle egg survives to adulthood, it
takes 35 years for it to reach maturity and once it has laid
it takes 2 to 3 years for it to lay again” Clearly the
odds are already stacked against the turtle’s survival,
without man getting involved as well.
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