Some of the turtles “were so big it took three people to lift each one,” Andi Taqdir Rahmantiro, director of the Bali Police’s detectives unit said, adding that the biggest turtles weighed as much as 200 kilograms each.
Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) were once commonly used in ritual sacrifices across the predominantly Hindu island, while their meat is a traditional delicacy. In recent years, however, there has been a shift toward symbolic sacrifices where the animals are released alive into the sea.
Andi said the animals were seized on Wednesday from a warehouse in Denpasar owned by Jero Mangku Buda. He added Buda had long fronted as a pork vendor, but actually sold turtle meat on the sly.
Police had staked out Buda’s food stall for months before posing as potential turtle meat buyers to make the arrest. During questioning, the suspect told investigators about the warehouse, just 200 meters away from the food stall.
Buda said he had bought the consignment of turtles for Rp 35 million ($3,850) from a fisherman at Amed Harbor in Karangasem a day earlier, who in turn had netted them in the Sulawesi Sea.
He did not tell police whether he had killed or sold any from the batch, but said he often sold off entire turtles for Rp 700,000 each, while serving up turtle meat for Rp 45,000 a portion.
“He says he’s only done it once before, but we’re not buying it,” Bali Police spokesman Gde Sugianyar Dwi Putra said. “In the meantime, we’re tracking down the supplier.”
Buda would likely be charged with poaching, which could see him face up to five years in prison and Rp 100 million in fines, Sugianyar said.
Police will deliver the 71 turtles to the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) office in Bali, which plans to release them into the sea from Kuta Beach.
“For now, though, we’ll keeping them at the turtle conservation center in Serangan,” BKSDA Bali head Pamen Sitorus said.
Indonesia implemented a turtle trade ban in 1999, and rejected a proposal last year by Bali Governor I Made Mangku Pastika to set an annual quota of 1,000 animals for sacrificial ceremonies. However, high demand has driven the trade underground, with police foiling several smuggling attempts in recent years.
In February 2009, police stopped a boat carrying 26 turtles, while in July a shipment of 42 turtles from Java was foiled. In September, authorities seized 140 kilograms of turtle meat.
Too old for this: A police officer sprays dozens of turtles with water at the Bali Police Headquarters on Wednesday. The police confiscated 71 turtles – all believed to be more than seventy years old – from a suspected illegal trader who had transported the animals from Sulawesi. JP/Zul Trio Anggono, from Jakarta Post 19 May 10;
Indonesian police seize 71 green turtles
Yahoo News 19 May 10;
DENPASAR, Indonesia (AFP) – Indonesian police said Wednesday they had rescued 71 endangered green sea turtles after a raid on a warehouse on the holiday island of Bali.
The animals were alive but with their flippers tied with rope after police investigated suspicious activity by the 55-year-old warehouse owner, senior detective Andi Rahmantiro told AFP.
The turtles were probably destined for local food markets, he added.
"We have been eyeing the area for a while but we needed stronger evidence. Yesterday our officers raided the location because the information was certain," Rahmantiro said.
"The suspect confessed to planning to sell the turtles for 700,000 rupiah (77 dollars) each. On the market they can actually reach about two to four million rupiah each."
An estimated 100,000 green sea turtles are killed in the Indo-Australian archipelago each year, mostly for their meat, according to environmental group WWF.
Turtle meat is a traditional part of the Balinese diet but consumption has fallen since its peak in the 1970s thanks to greater awareness of the species and its importance to the local tourism industry.
Rahmantiro said the rescued turtles, most of which were more than 10 years old, would be released back into the sea.
The warehouse owner faces up to five years in jail for violating conservation laws.
Indonesian police seize 71 giant turtles in Bali
Associated Press Google News 19 May 10;
DENPASAR, Indonesia — Indonesian police have confiscated 71 endangered giant sea turtles from a food stall on the resort island of Bali, an officer said Wednesday.
The owner of the stall was arrested when the giant green turtles, named chelonia mydas, were found inside his storehouse in Denpasar, chief detective Col. Andi Taqdir Rahmantiro said.
Rahmantiro said the stall owner told police he purchased the turtles, with an average size of more than 3.3 feet (one meter), from fishermen who caught them in waters off Sulawesi island.
Turtle meat is a traditional delicacy in the predominantly Hindu province of Bali, although Indonesia has banned turtle trade and consumption due to concerns about dwindling numbers and threats by animal welfare groups of a tourist boycott of Bali.
Turtles are among several protected species in Indonesia, a vast nation of 17,000 islands.
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