Police return twenty turtles after Bali smuggling stop
Indonesian officers freed twenty green turtles from a seized boat at Serangan Beach on Bali island Tuesday.
Staff finished final exams at a conservation center before moving the animals carefully to the sandy shore. Workers used soft blue cloths to lift each turtle and placed them gently into a small truck for transport to safety.
Marine police foiled an attempt to smuggle twenty-two green turtles in waters off Serangan Island after receiving a suspicious report from local residents. Two of the captured animals remain sick and require further medical treatment before they can join their released companions in the sea.
All twenty animals were found alive on an empty boat that appeared to be abandoned by smugglers who fled the scene before officers arrived. The turtles are protected species under Indonesian conservation laws that have been in place since the year 1990.
Green turtles accounted for fifty-six out of every hundred sea turtle killings during a thirty-year period ending in 2020 according to a global study. Bali was once a major hub for trafficking these animals due to historical use of turtle meat in religious offerings.