130 turtles seized in police raid

130 turtles seized in police raid

JP/I Wayan Juniartha

SANUR, Bali (JP): Police on Tuesday afternoon seized some 130
live turtles in a raid on a slaughter house, believed to be one
of the biggest in the area.

Located some 50 meters from the Ngurah Rai Highway on the
eastern outskirts of Denpasar, the slaughter house has reportedly
been in operation for some three decades.

The owner, 67-year-old I Made Kodi, said an average of two
turtles were butchered each day to meet the demand for turtle
delicacies from various parts of Denpasar and Badung regencies.

The slaughter house is now managed by Kodi's nephew, I Wayan
Widnyana.

Kodi disclosed that he usually bought the live turtles from
poachers in Tanjung Benoa village at prices ranging from Rp
200,000 to Rp 350,000.

"We can make around 20 karang (a traditional Balinese dish)
out of one turtle and sell it for about Rp 30,000 per serving,"
he said.

The turtles, most of them green turtles (Chelonia mydas) which
are protected by law, were kept at two buildings separated from
the main house. They were tied with plastic ropes and were not
being fed.

The seized turtles were brought to police headquarters in
trucks.

The police's Special Crimes Unit chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Gede
Artawan said the turtles would be released into the ocean on
Wednesday.

Kodi and Widnyana will be charged with violating Article 55 of
Law No.5/1990 on Natural Resources Protection and Conservation.

Environmentalists claim that some 27,000 turtles are killed
for local consumption every year on the holiday island. (zen)