Rare turtle found in Bali

DENPASAR, Bali: A rare female turtle (Caretta caretta) has been found by local fishermen in Perancak, Jembrana, some 80 kilometers west of Denpasar, an environmental activist said on Friday.

"It was found last week by a fisherman, named Karya, 25 meters below the surface of the sea between Perancak and Air Kuning," Putu Liza Kusuma Mustika from the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) Wallacea, said.

Putu said the turtle, which was believed to have came from Queensland, Australia, is 75 centimeters in length and is estimated to be about 30 years old.

The turtle, which has a mark in its stomach believed to have been made by a research institute in Queensland between 1973 and 1983, was freed on Sunday by locals and the environmental body.

Perancak area has been plotted as a feeding site of rare turtles, such as Eretmochelys imbricate, Lepidochelys olivaca, and Dermochelis coriacea by WWF Wallacea in a project which involves local residents. (zen/jun)