Indonesian police found 71 endangered Green Sea Turtles after conducting a warehouse raid in Bali. All of the animals were alive at the time, but their flippers were tied with rope, suggesting they might have been heading for food markets.
While these turtles were lucky enough to escape their grim fate, there are nearly 100,000 others out there still in need; for approximately that many are killed every year and usually for their meat. Senior detective, Andi Rahmantiro, commented that:
“We have been eyeing the area for a while, but we needed stronger evidence. [On Wednesday], our officers raided the location because the information was certain. The suspect confessed to planning to sell the turtles for 700,000 rupiah ($77 USD) each. On the market, they can actually reach about 2 to 4 million rupiah, each.”
Luckily, the story of the endangered Green Sea Turtles has a happy ending. The warehouse owner faces up to 5 years in prison for violating conservation laws and all of the turtles will be released back to the sea where they belong.
By Heidi Marshall