A total of 31 sea turtles that were smuggled into Bali were let free on Kuta Beach.
The turtles had been intercepted last week on a boat that departed from Madura, East Java on March 20,2016, en route to Kubu, Karangasem. It is believed that the turtles were going to be sold for consumption in Bali.
Over 40 of the turtles had been discovered on board but some of them sadly died in transit. The survivors were sent for quarantine after they were confiscated from the smugglers. Bali Police says some of the turtles are still in care and are also in custody as evidence for the case—let’s hope those turtles are released soon!
Luckily for the rest of the surviving turtles, they were let free back into the ocean yesterday. Now let’s just hope they don’t captured again as quickly as they were released.
Perhaps along for the photo-op or because he really does have a soft spot for Bali’s animals, Bali Police Chief Insp. Gen Sugeng Priyanto helped release the turtles himself.
The smuggling suspects are still being held at Bali Police headquarters. “They could face five years in prison,” Priyanto said, as quoted by Republika.
