Sale of Turtle Shells Spurs Call for Probe
The Mexican Maritime Confederation, an ecology watchdog group, is demanding that the government investigate shipments of hundreds of pounds of turtle shells to Japan last year, despite the fact that turtle hunting is banned.
Confederation officials were quoted Saturday by the newspaper El Universal as saying the government has failed to respond to accusations that it authorized the shipment of 1,150 pounds of turtle shells to Japan in 1989.
The shells are widely use for making expensive combs, key rings, eyeglass frames and transistor mounts.
Sea turtles are an endangered species in Mexico and, by law, people are barred from hunting them or collecting their eggs.
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