Sea turtle protection campaign launched in Hanoi

The Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network (TRAFFIC) has launched a sea turtles protection campaign with the theme “For a Hanoi with no more trade of marine turtle” from Nov. 17-30, 2008.The move aims to raise the public’s awareness of the need to protect marine turtles which are facing extinction due to rampant hunting by human for their meat, egg, shell and skin. The campaign will spread the message that the trade, use, storage, and transport of sea turtles and their products are illegal and will drive these graceful and beautiful creatures into extinction. Slogans of the campaign will be hung on Hanoi’s streets, parades by bikes to ancient streets in the city will be organized and radio and TV programmes about sea turtles and sea turtle protection broadcast. Only seven species of marine turtle still exist in the world, of them five have been found in Vietnam’s waters. All the five species of sea turtle in Vietnam have been classified as endangered and critical endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Although Vietnam’s also strictly bans all acts of selling, purchase and transport of marine turtles for commercial purpose, marine turtles have been hunted not only for food as a delicacy but also for materials to prepare traditional medicines and produce luxury articles, due to poor public awareness of the regulations.