Police save 130 turtles from slaughterhouse

Police save 130 turtles from slaughterhouse

DENPASAR, Bali (JP): The police continued on Thursday to raid
houses trading turtles illegally and seized another 138 of the
reptiles, most of them green turtles (Chelonia mydas).

Police seized 130 turtles from an illegal slaughterhouse on
Tuesday.

Bali Police chief detective Sr. Comr. Sadar Sebayang said the
police would continue its "turtle operation". "We will keep
raiding places suspected of trading turtles."

The operation led by Special Crimes Unit chief Adj. Sr. Comr.
Gede Artawan raided a house belonging to I Wayan Raga in Pabean
hamlet in Ketewel village, some 15 kilometers east of Denpasar.
They found 48 turtles kept in a shallow pond and another 56 in a
muddy gutter in the backyard.

I Wayan Raga was not in the house. Two of his workers insisted
they only provided the live turtles for their client, but the
officers found turtles bones and skin, indicating the place was
also used as a slaughterhouse.

The officers also raided a house belonging to I Wayan Arka in
the neighboring hamlet of Pasekan, where they seized 27 green
turtles.

The officers also confiscated four huge sacks of turtle
carapaces.

Later in the afternoon, the officers raided two houses in
Pedungan village and seized four green turtles from a house
belonging to Wayan Buda. (zen)