They're spiritual creatures, says restaurateur who saved endangered turtle from pot

A young hawksbill turtle saved by a restaurateur from ending up on a diner's plate has been sent to Ocean Park for checks to see if it is healthy enough to be released back into the wild.

"If the health checks show that it is in good condition, we will release it into the waters near south Hong Kong," said Ng Ka-yan, a wetland and fauna conservation officer at the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.

Officials said the turtle was about 36cm long and it looked healthy. It was about 20 years old and still too young to be sexed just from its appearance.

Ng Pak-yan, owner of Royal Dragon Seafood Cuisine in Mong Kok, said the person who caught the 5kg hawksbill went to his restaurant on Tuesday evening, asking him to cook it.

He said he had never seen anyone eat a sea turtle in his 20 years in the business and he tried to persuade the angler to release it but the client was not willing to take up his suggestion. So Ng decided to buy the turtle from him.

"Turtles are spiritual creatures," Ng said. "They bring good fortune and can live very long. People can't eat them."

He would not say how much he paid for it other than that it was a five-figure sum.