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Man saves terrapin from cooking pot
A terrapin was saved from the pot, thanks to a man. -NST
Sat, Feb 21, 2009
The New Straits Times
JOHOR BARU, MALAYSIA: A terrapin was saved from the pot, thanks to a man who went out of his way to convince those who were about to eat the animal about divine blessings and bad karma.
Racing instructor Tai Seng Kooi, 49, nonetheless had to fork out RM700 to save the endangered reptile from being thrown into the cooking pot.
Tai, a former Malaysian ace motorcycle racer, said he was passing by a restaurant on Tuesday afternoon when he saw a terrapin weighing more than 30kg on top of a table at a restaurant in Jalan Maju, Taman Maju Jaya here.
Tai said he feared for the terrapin's safety although the restaurant staff did not say why the terrapin was at the restaurant, which is known for serving "exotic" meat.
"I told the people at the restaurant that I wanted to buy the terrapin and set it free as doing so would bring blessings and that those who did harm to the creature would suffer bad karma," Tai said, adding that he believed the terrapin must have lived for more than 30 years.
"I told the people at the restaurant that a creature this old should not be harmed. Fortunately, they agreed to sell it to me for RM700."
Tai learnt that the terrapin was caught from a river in Pahang and that it could fetch up to RM3,000.
Tai declined to reveal the location where he had sent the terrapin. He said he was still fearful for the terrapin's safety even after rescuing it.
"I had brought the terrapin to a safe sanctuary. It is pointless to release it into the river again as someone else may catch it and then, it may still end up in the cooking pot," said Tai.
Terrapins, a cousin to the turtle, used to be found in abundance in South Asia, but their numbers have dwindled due to activities such as fishing.
Many had been caught dead in fishing nets, or fatally injured by boat engine's rotor blades, or died due to pollution, sand dredging and poaching.
Today, terrapins are listed as among the world's 25 species being threatened by extinction.
