A leatherback turtle, on Sunday, was saved from certain death by a woman, Doyinsola Ogunye, at Elegushi Beach in Lagos, after it came ashore.
Ogunye, who ensured that the endangered animal was returned to the sea, shared several photos and videos of the animal and the attempts by some residents to kill it. She said that the animal had come to the beach because it wanted to lay eggs.
In her bid to raise awareness about the existence of the animal, she called on the government agencies and private organisations.
In one of the posts on her Instagram page, @doyinsola_o, she revealed that the men, who wanted to kill the turtle, started negotiation for it from 500,000 Naira. Some of the men in the videos, she shared could be heard asking for 10 million Naira and even someone lamenting that she wanted to deprive them something for their pots of soup.
Giving an update on Monday, Ogunye revealed that the men, who helped in ensuring that the turtle was returned to sea, were compensated and co-opted into her anti-poachers team.
She said, “Good morning all! Yesterday was all sorts of amazing. I will like to say a big thank you to everyone raising awareness about this issue. We need to do more. It’s not just about rescuing one turtle, It’s about the several others that without enforcement will end up in a pot of soup!!!! All the men from the Ikate Elegushi Community who volunteered to save the leatherback turtle were compensated and are now part of our Anti Poachers team. We need to properly kit them and also train them.”
According to Wikipedia, the leatherback turtle is the largest of all living turtles and is the fourth-heaviest modern reptile after crocodiles.
It is also labelled as vulnerable, meaning it is an endangered animal.
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