Dugong, sea turtle meat traded: report

Endangered marine animals in Queensland are reportedly being slaughtered for the illegal trade of meat.

An ABC Television report on Thursday showed dugong and sea turtle species in the Torres Strait north of Queensland being killed for their meat.

The footage by former IT entrepreneur and now eco-warrior Rupert Imhoff showed a turtle fastened by a rope for up to three days waiting to die while dugongs were dragged by boats.

Torres Strait locals of the islands were secretly filmed hacking the legs of a sea turtle, which took around seven minutes to die.

Mr Imhoff said he could only speculate what was in cooler boxes on planes from the islands.

“I do not know 100 per cent for a fact what was in those eskies,” he told ABC Television on Thursday.

“I have heard numerous reports and been told by the islanders themselves that they are transporting excessive amounts of turtle and dugong down to Cairns.”

He said there were around six or seven cooler boxes on his flight, which he was told was a daily routine.

Dugongs are protected under Federal Law but the Native Title Act allows traditional owners to hunt to fulfil their domestic needs.

In Queensland, native title hunting is exempt from cruelty laws.

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