When asked, “What does turtle egg taste like?”, the young children immediately chuckled, looked at each other, and scratched their heads. Some of them had actually eaten turtle eggs, but they knew that consuming them was against the law. They found themselves in a dilemma, unsure whether to answer, fearing they might be blamed or even interrogated, but staying silent also felt wrong because they wanted to be heard.
Finally, one brave boy spoke up, “Turtle eggs taste bland, there’s nothing special about them.” Not to be outdone, another boy from Derawan Island said, “Turtle eggs taste good and savory, I can eat five of them in one sitting,” he declared.
In Berau, turtle eggs are a common type of food found during the turtle nesting season. They are usually sold discreetly, with prices ranging from IDR 6,000 to IDR 12,500.
On November 8, 2018, the Indonesian Turtle Foundation (YPI) along with Profauna Borneo held an educational event at Muhammadiyah High School in Berau about the importance of turtles for human life. During the session, it was explained that turtles play a crucial role in maintaining the balance of marine ecosystems.
The education session emphasized that students should stop consuming turtle eggs, as this could potentially harm the conservation of turtles.
