Authorities in Ha Tien City in the southern province of Kien Giang are working to identify a woman who was recently photographed slaughtering and selling meat from an animal allegedly belonging to a species of endangered sea turtles at a local market.

In a recent photo shared by a sea turtle protection group in Vietnam, a woman is captured selling turtle meat together with fish at a wet market in the city’s Phao Dai Ward.

“A fish seller slaughtered a Chelonia mydas green sea turtle and publicly sold its meat at the market,” the caption under the photo posted on social media reads.

The picture was said to have been taken on Friday when some members of the group visited the market.

The slaughtered animal is estimated to weigh around 30 kilograms.

“Green turtles are rare and endangered animals protected under the government’s regulations and Vietnam's Red Data Book,” the group said in their post.

“However, the animals are still being caught and traded publicly, so surely our future generations will not have many opportunities to see them anymore,” they added.

Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) are also listed as endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.

The group also called on people to condemn the vendor's act, as well as expressed a hope that local authorities would pay attention to the issue.

The post was shared hundreds of times and received multiple comments within a few hours, with many criticizing the actions of the market vendor.

Ha Tien Chairman Nguyen Thanh Nhan told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that local authorities are working to identify the woman as well as trace the slaughtered animal’s origin.

Any violations will be handled in accordance with the law, he said.

Catching, slaughtering, or trading endangered animals are punishable by up to seven years behind bars and a fine of up to VND100 million (US$4,300), according to the Penal Code of Vietnam.

A screenshot shows green turtle (Chelonia mydas) being listed as endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!