An endangered sea turtle being taunted by children while on sale at an Egyptian fish market has been saved after a journalist posted pictures online that were seen by officials.

The images quickly went viral showing the live sea turtle destined to end up on the dinner plate. They were then seen by the Egyptian Ministry of the Environment who confiscated the turtle that was being sold at one of the markets in El Matareya which is a district in the eastern area of Cairo.

Children were beating and taunting the animal, according to local media.

Commentators pointed out that the sea turtle was one of the principal predators of jellyfish, which are a major problem in the region, outlining another reason apart from its protected status as to why it should not be on sale at a fish market.

Journalist Sami Abdel-Radi raised the alarm on his social media profile when he addressed the ministry saying: “Gentlemen of the Ministry of Environment: This turtle is prohibited from being hunted and is already threatened with extinction.

“Yet there is a fish store in Arab Al-Taweelah Street. The shop is presenting it to customers like this and it’s attracting young children who are taunting it.

“It does not matter where and how he got her, what is important is that she is found and returned to her natural habitat rather than being slaughtered.”

In response, the Egyptian Ministry of the Environment confirmed that investigators had discovered the sea turtle after the Facebook posting about one of the shops and had confiscated it.

In a statement obtained by Newsflash, they then added: “Dr Yasmin Fouad, the Minister of the Environment, issued instructions to the nature protection sector of the Ministry of Environment to re-release the turtle that was confiscated with a fish shop owner in one of the markets in Matria. It was released into its natural environment in the beautiful Ashtoum Reserve after confirmation that it was healthy and fit enough to survive if returned to its natural habitat.

“The release was carried out in the presence of a number of students of the Faculty of Sciences at Damietta University’s Department of Marine Sciences so that they can gain practical experience in conservation.”

They also thanked those that had raised the matter, including the journalist, for bringing it to their attention so that they could act quickly to save the sea turtle.