Police and prosecutors from the southern island of Con Dao have been disagreeing for weeks over whether to start criminal proceedings in a theft case involving 116 sea turtle eggs. The case reportedly happened on June 17 when park rangers caught Pham Van Tan, 28, stealing the eggs at the Con Dao National Park, according to media reports. The Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources later concluded that the eggs belong to the endangered green sea turtle species (Chelonia mydas). The chief prosecutor, Tran Thanh Tam, reportedly said that “eggs” could not be treated as “animals,” meaning there was no legal basis for a criminal case. Tan has repeatedly stolen sea turtle eggs in the park, they said.

Source: Thanhnien News August 23, 2016 15:00 UTC