Letter: Poisonous turtle meat

I noted a small but important article in The Jakarta Post (April 9) that 139 people were rushed to a health centre in Bulasat village on Pagai Selatan island (this island is part of the string of Mentawai islands located west of Sumatra) after having consumed turtle meat. 

Tiolina Saogo, head of the health centre there explained that one man arrived in a very critical condition and died shortly after, 30 were very sick but are now in stable condition, the rest returned to their village after thorough medical examination and treatment. What could have brought on this health hazard?  Although I have visited only Nias island and have spoken to various farmers and fishermen,  I know that the Mentawai peope survive mainly from fishing and those living in the mountains are occasional farmers. 

They have consumed turtle meat for centuries. The Nias island people are blessed because this island is an international surfing paradise. The other Mentawai  islands, however, do not fare that well and only a few anthropologists occasionally visit to study the culture of the Mentawai people.

Have turtles now secretly developed glands that excrete poison in order to protect themselves ? These animals are one of the oldest animal species in the world and have survived numerous natural disasters and the ice age.

They are very intelligent species, swim and travel around the world for thousands of miles yet their intricate inborn radar and  sensors, always taking them back to the same beach each year to lay their eggs. Zoologists, marine biologists and other marine scientists are still flabbergasted and are unable to discover how these animals manage this.

They have planted sensors on a number of turtles and via satellite monitoring can monitor these animals. These experts are still unable to find out how turtles manage to return to the same beach each year for breeding  after having swum for thousands of miles.
 
Lynna van der Zee-Oehmke
Bogor, West Java