Indonesia returns 20 green sea turtles to the ocean after Bali smuggling raid
SERANGAN ISLAND, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian authorities on the tourist island of Bali released 20 protected green sea turtles back into the ocean Tuesday after they were found and seized on an empty boat seemingly abandoned by wildlife smugglers fleeing a police raid. Officers conducted final checks on the turtles at a conservation center on […]
Indonesian authorities have released 20 protected green sea turtles back into the ocean on Bali after seizing them from a boat suspected of smuggling wildlife by police. The turtles were found on an empty boat being abandoned by the suspected smugglers during a police raid on the tourist island. Officers examined the turtles at a conservation center before transporting them to the shoreline, where they were released into the ocean.
Two of the 22 turtles seized, including the 20 that were released, are still ill and require treatment before they can also be released. The turtles, which are protected under Indonesian conservation and fisheries laws since 1990, were found alive on the boat, but the smugglers had fled before officers arrived. Bali's Marine Police shared their hope that no one will attempt to capture, keep, or trade the protected sea turtle species.
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