Model's casino 'will endanger turtles'

2007-09-14 14:44:41

Plans by supermodel Naomi Campbell to build a casino on a sanctuary for rare turtles have angered conservationists.

The model and her boyfriend want to build the casino resort in Malindi, Kenya, which is home to at least three species of turtle.

Campbell hopes that the 40-apartment casino, called the Billionaires Resort, will "target the top men in the world".

But Athman Seif, director of the Malindi Marine Association, said the casino would have a "very negative effect on turtle nesting and destroy years of careful project work".

He also indicated that the resort would be in breach of local planning regulations, reports the Times newspaper.

Malindi, formerly known as Melinde and 120 km north-east of Mombasa, is a popular tourist destination for Italians