Help for Bali's Sea Turtles

Quiksilver on board to help Bali's troubled sea turtles

Sea Turtle conservation spot : photo Tim Hain Balifornian supports environmental causes such as... Environment News- Bali Tours, Holidays and Vacations Quiksilver Gives Donations to Support Sea Turtle Preservation  |  Indonesian version below Surfersvillage Global Surf News,  -  Quiksilver gave a donation to support the conservation of Sea Turtles. The donation was given to the Kuta Beach Sea Turtle Conservation (KBSTC),  which will be used to preserve the existence of Sea Turtles in the area of Kuta Beach, Bali. The amount of the donation Rp. 25,014,338,- was handed over to Mr. I Gusti Ngurah Tresna, as representatives from KBSTC, by Simon MacGregor, Quiksilver Marketing Executive SEA and Bruce Waterfield, Business Services Director, Coca Cola Botling Indonesia. The hand over ceremony was done at the office KBSTC in Kuta Beach area. "This is a part of our awareness to support sea turtle conservation in Kuta Beach area. Quiksilver is very proud to have participated for several years, and we will continue the donations in the years to come. "Said Simon MacGregor. After the hand over ceremony, the crowd was doing the Sea Turtle release at Kuta Beach led by Simon MacGregor and Bruce Waterfield, as well as Quiksilver and Coca Cola Balinusa region teams. www.quiksilver.com Bahasa Indonesia Quiksilver Memberikan Donasi untuk Mendukung Pelestarian Penyu Laut Surfersvillage Global Surf News, - Kuta Bali, 26 November 2010. Quiksilver memberikan donasi untuk mendukung pelestarian penyu laut. Donasi diberikan kepada Kuta Beach Sea Turtle Conservation (KBSTC) yang selanjutnya akan digunakan untuk melestarikan keberadaan Penyu Laut di wilayah Pantai Kuta, Bali.   Donasi sebesar Rp. 25.014.338,- itu diserahkan kepada Bapak I Gusti Ngurah Tresna sebagai perwakilan dari KBSTC oleh Simon MacGregor, Marketing Executive SEA Quiksilver dan Bruce Waterfield, Business Service Director Coca Cola Botling Indonesia. Penyerahan dilakukan di kantor KBSTC di kawasan Pantai Kuta. “Ini adalah bentuk kepedulian Quiksilver untuk mendukung pelestarian Penyu Laut di wilayah Pantai Kuta. Kami sangat bangga telah ikut berpartisipasi selama beberapa tahun terakhir ini, dan kami akan terus memberikan donasi di tahun-tahun mendatang.” ungkap Simon  MacGregor. Setelah acara penyerahan donasi, dilakukan juga acara pelepasan Penyu Laut di Pantai Kuta dipimpin oleh Simon MacGregor, Bruce Waterfield, serta team dari  Quiksilver dan Coca Cola wilayah Balinusa. Balifornian Tours offers the best custom holiday experience on Bali and all of Indonesia.  Balifornian Travel Blog is your source for news and fun information on travel, vacationing, upcoming events and much more. What's your take on this? Let us know



Endangered Sea Turtles Saved in Bali

Endangered Sea Turtles Saved in Bali
Made Arya Kencana | 

Tourists at Bali’s Kuta Beach on Thursday helping to release dozens of endangered green sea turtles that were being smuggled into the island, where they are considered a delicacy. (JG Photo/J.P. Christo)

 

Denpasar. Police in Bali have arrested a boat captain and seized a shipment of 87 live green sea turtles being smuggled into the resort island from Sulawesi.

The boat, KM Cahaya Rahmat, was seized by maritime police about nine nautical miles off Bali’s east coast shortly after noon on Wednesday.

The turtles, all believed to be more than 50 years old and weighing around 100 kilograms each, were found hidden in a hold beneath the boat’s deck.

The boat was towed to shore, and the turtles released back into the sea from Kuta Beach on Thursday, where the authorities had to be helped by tourists to carry the meter-long animals to the water’s edge.

Bali Police Chief Insp. Gen. Hadiatmoko said the boat’s captain, Habong, had been arrested and five crew members were released after questioning.

He said Habong had been charged under the 1990 Natural Resources Conservation Law, for which he could face up to five years in prison and be fined Rp 100 million ($11,000).

Hadiatmoko said police were now looking into whether the boat was part of an organized syndicate that was smuggling the endangered turtles.

“Each of the turtles could have fetched between Rp 4 million and Rp 5 million,” he said.

Habong, meanwhile, admitted to bringing the turtles to Bali to sell them. “I brought them here to sell because I knew that they’re a hot commodity in Bali and I would have made a lot of money,” he said.

He claimed he had caught all 87 turtles over a six-day period by trawling for them in the waters around the Wakatobi islands, located off Southeast Sulawesi, before making the 11-day voyage to Bali to sell them.

“I was just trying to make a living,” he said. “If I’d been more fortunate, I would have gotten away with it.”

Habong added it was the first time he had attempted to smuggle turtles into Bali.

While most of the turtles were released back into the sea, four were sent to the Bali Natural Resources Conservation Agency’s sanctuary on Serangan Island to recover from injuries.

“As for the ones we released, we’ll be monitoring them for the next few days to ensure they aren’t picked up by more fishermen or attacked by predators,” said Endang HS, a conservation agency official.

Meanwhile, ProFauna, a nongovernmental wildlife group, said the seizure indicated the illegal trade in sea turtles was thriving despite an official ban.

I Wayan Wiradnyana, coordinator of ProFauna Bali’s Green Turtle Campaign, said most of the 87 turtles seized were females, and their loss would have severely impacted the survival of the species.

“They were all of mating age, and were probably caught in their traditional mating grounds,” he said.

Green turtles were once commonly used in ritual sacrifices across the predominantly Hindu island, and their meat is considered a traditional Balinese delicacy.

In recent years, however, there has been a shift toward symbolic sacrifices where the animals are released alive into the sea.

But continued high demand has driven the trade underground, with several smuggling attempts being foiled in the past few years.

From Jakarta Globe