3 Dead, Dozens Sick After Eating Sea Turtle

At least three people died and dozens more were hospitalized in the Philippines after eating stew made with the meat of an endangered sea turtle. Officials say at least 32 members of the Teduray indigenous tribe were hospitalized with symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, the BBC reports. Local official Irene Dillo says dogs, cats, and chickens that ate the leftovers also died. Sea turtles that have eaten contaminated algae or contaminated prey can be toxic when eaten by humans, the BBC notes.

The eating of sea turtles and other endangered species is banned, "but we can't monitor everyone," Dillo said, per Palawan News. The turtle was eaten by residents of a seaside village in Maguindanao del Norte Province on the island of Mindanao. "It was unfortunate because there is so much other seafood in their village—lobsters, fish," Dillo told the BBC. Local officials have been ordered to step up enforcement of laws against hunting and eating sea turtles. Earlier this year, eight children and one adult died in Zanzibar after eating turtle meat. (More Philippines stories.)