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)