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Thai Street Vendor Sells Flipped Turtles To Get Attention From Customers, Must Pay To Let Them Free

Local seller exploits turtles for sales


Many people host charity campaigns to raise money for abandoned animals or animals that have been affected by climate change and human behaviour. Knowledge of their suffering often makes us want to donate in order to help credible causes make their lives better.

However, one vendor in Thailand had a different idea when it came to “saving” animals – she was trying to make money by selling flipped turtles, which customers could pay to let free.


Does this regularly


Sell flipped turtles

Source 

On 13th October 2020, Facebook user Thanaporn Jampathong posted a video that showed a local seller putting a flipped turtle up for sale in front of her vegetable stall along a footpath. 

Sell flipped turtles

Source 

Translation: “Please help! There are police officers nearby, but they did nothing. How can we help prevent this from happening again?”

In her post, she shared that she found this seller selling fresh vegetables at a bus stop near Zeer Rangsit Shopping Mall on Phahonyothin Road. However, this was the first time she noticed that there was a flipped turtle in front of her shop with a price tag reading ฿999. 

She also noticed that there was water running down from the turtle, which no one seemed to care about – not even the police officers nearby. 

She tried reporting this incident to some organisations, but they were all closed as it was in the evening. She then walked back to help the turtle but it had disappeared. Sellers around the area then informed her that they had already gathered all of their money to free the turtle. 

The sellers also added that this wasn’t the first time the woman had exploited the turtles this way, and had done so many times before. Sometimes, she brought over 3 turtles to sell in a single day. 


This needs to stop


Many netizens tagged animal organisations to help to solve the problem and prevent this from happening in the future. 

Others expressed their anger and wondered why the officers ignored this although they were nearby. According to the Cruelty Prevention and Welfare of Animals Act, the seller could get into trouble for putting the animals through distress by laying on their shells. 

Miss Thanapron, we appreciate your kind heart and hope your post can garner more reactions to get help for the poor turtles.

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Featured image adapted from: Thanaporn Jampathong 

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