Thieves threaten turtle conservation at Sukamade coast<\/p>\n
By Gin Kurniawan and M. Falach<\/p>\n
BANYUWANGI, East Java (JP): At daybreak, a sampan arrives and
\nthree passengers leap out of it. They walk stealthily along the
\ncoast and pierce the white sand of the beach with their iron
\nsticks. When their sticks strike something peculiar, they dig
\ninto the sand with their hands.<\/p>\n
That is what turtle egg thieves do on Sukamade Coast in
\nBanyuwangi district, East Java.<\/p>\n
These thieves are doing too much hunting and are quite
\ndesperate. Out of impatience, they frequently tear open the
\nabdomen of a turtle and take out all the eggs inside before they
\nsell the protected species' eggs.<\/p>\n
Turtle eggs, which are quite popular among men because they
\nare believed to have an aphrodisiacal affect, are easily found in
\nJember and Banyuwangi districts and are offered at a relatively
\nlow price of about Rp 1,500 each.<\/p>\n
Many shopkeepers, who offer the eggs in kiosks and shops
\naround Jember and Banyuwangi bus terminals, say that they can
\neasily find egg buyers and even regret that they cannot sell
\nlarge quantities of them since supplies depend on suppliers.<\/p>\n
The trade of turtle eggs clearly violates Law No. 5\/1970 on
\nprotected species and signifies that turtles, which are protected
\nbecause of its shrinking population, are not properly protected
\ndespite their status.<\/p>\n
The government has made many efforts to conserve turtles,
\nincluding establishing Meru Betiri National Park on Turtle Coast,
\nformerly Sukamade Coast, which belongs to Jember and Banyuwangi
\nsubdistricts. And on Rajegwesi Coast, once the habitat of sea
\nturtles located some seven kilometers to the east of Sukamade,
\nthieves and the construction of fishermen's homes have swept away
\nwith all traces of turtles. Ironically, the coast is one of the
\nareas designated to serve as the national park's buffer zone.<\/p>\n
As Rajegwesi Coast is no longer a safe place for turtles, the
\nMinister of Agriculture stipulated Meru Betiri as a turtle
\nconservation area through Decree No. 276\/Kpts\/Um\/6\/1972.<\/p>\n
The conservation area, measuring a total of 50,000 hectares,
\nis also an animal reserve, protecting, among others, turtles,
\nJavan striped royal tigers (Panthera tigris sondaica), panthers
\n(Panthera pardus), wild oxen of Java (Bos javanicus), peacocks
\n(pavomuticus) and eagles. A number of rare plants, such as
\npadmosari (Rafflesia zollingeriana), are also protected.<\/p>\n
The turtle conservation area is a coastal area with grayish
\nwhite sand expanding the length of three kilometers from the west
\nto the east and with cliffs which act as natural fences.<\/p>\n
There are four protected turtle species in this area: green
\nturtle (Chelonia midas), scaled turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata),
\nslengkrah turtles (Lepydochelys olivacea) and star-fruit turtles
\n(Dermochelys coriacea).<\/p>\n
Some wardens say only the green turtles of the four species
\nhas a large population and makes them the only visible turtles
\nlaying eggs on the coast. The slengkrah and scaled turtles are
\nalmost extinct. The star-fruit turtles, which belong to the giant
\nturtle family because they may be as long as two meters wide and
\nweigh around 500 to 1000 kilograms, are also on the verge of
\nextinction, said Musafah, a Meru Betiri National Park warden.<\/p>\n
He revealed that the star-fruit turtles are unique in nature.
\nDespite their huge bodies, they lay the lowest number of eggs.
\nA star-fruit turtle lays an average of 90 eggs, while other
\nturtles may lay as many as 150.<\/p>\n
Usually, the turtles lay eggs only during the wet season, or
\nin six months of the year. But in the last three years, these sea
\ncreatures have been laying eggs throughout the year. This is a
\nnew egg-laying habit and it began after giant tsunami waves
\nstruck in 1996, which destroyed practically the entire Banyuwangi
\ncoast.<\/p>\n
So far, it is not known whether the new laying habit has
\naffected the population level of turtles.<\/p>\n
The wardens on duty at the national park could not give clear
\ninformation on it.<\/p>\n
\"We do not know how many turtles lay eggs each day, let alone
\nthe population level of these animals,\" one warden said in
\nhonesty.<\/p>\n
The coastal area where turtles are found are controlled by
\nonly five wardens whose main task is to implement the turtle
\nconservation program. They have to move turtle eggs to a special
\nplace to prevent them from being eaten, or taken, by predators;
\nthat is, humans who wish to sell them for money, and monitor
\nlizards, boars and sea eagles, who include them in their diet.<\/p>\n
\"Human are the worst predators because they can do worse
\nthings than turtle-eating animals,\" said Gunardi, the subsection
\nhead of Sukamade turtle conservation area.<\/p>\n
Every day, these wardens are busy moving turtle eggs to a safe
\nplace. These eggs will hatch 50 days after they are laid and the
\naverage rate of successful hatching is 70 percent.<\/p>\n
Formerly, tukik, or young hatched turtles, were moved to a
\nspecial aquarium to let them grow bigger. But this huge aquarium,
\ndonated by a plantation company, was broken when the tsunami wave
\nhit the area.<\/p>\n
\"So now, as soon as the eggs are hatched, the young turtles
\nare set free in the sea,\" Gunardi said.<\/p>\n
Now that the country is in an economic crisis, thieves are
\nbecoming more desperate. They even use sharp weapons to fight the
\nwardens and kill the turtles.<\/p>\n
Although turtles are not known for their courage, they are
\nendowed with a strong instinct to protect their eggs. After
\nlaying the eggs, they move to another place and make the same
\nhole, just like a camouflage or trap.<\/p>\n
A turtle takes about three hours to lay eggs after it has made
\na hole in the sand for a hiding place, which is usually done at
\nnight to avoid light. A brief flash of light is enough to make a
\nturtle postpone laying its eggs, even though sometimes half the
\negg has come out of the abdomen.<\/p>\n
But some thieves cut open the abdomen to take the eggs out,
\nwhich kills the mother as the hole is exposed to salty sea water.<\/p>\n
Under Article 502 and 503 of Law No. 5\/1990, those harming,
\nstealing, or killing protected species are subject to
\na maximum of 10 years in prison or a Rp 100 million fine.<\/p>\n
However, the law fails to deter thieves, even those who are
\ncaught red-handed. \"Their punishment is so light, it doesn't make
\nthem hesitate to do the same thing all over again,\" said a
\nconservation warden.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/thieves-threaten-turtle-conservation-at-sukamade-coast-1447893297",
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