Police in Bali set free 31 captive sea turtles that were headed for China

Marine police of Bali released 31 rare pig nosed sea turtles into the ocean - these turtles had been captured by an illegal gang of smugglers and were destined to be flown to Guangzhou in southern China. These reptiles faced an uncertain future after they were caught by the smugglers and could have been on their way to a restaurant or to be used in traditional Chinese medicine.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 14 April 2016.

Fortunately, police came to now of the sinister plot and raided the gang's hide out to rescue the turtles before they could be smuggled out of the country. The rescue teams of police, aided by wildlife officials, carried the heavy turtles across the sand at Kuta beach on the island of Bali. The turtles had been rescued last week.
It may be recalled that earlier this year, Indonesian authorities had foiled an attempt to smuggle more than 4,000 protected baby turtles worth tens of thousands of dollars to China. More than 3,700 pig-nosed turtles and nearly 900 snake-necked turtles were found concealed in containers in a building on the outskirts of the capital Jakarta.
These turtles valued at nearly $90,000, were concealed among clown loach fish, which can be legally exported from Indonesia.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the pig-nosed turtle as vulnerable and the snake-necked turtle as critically endangered - both species are popular as pets. Moreover, some turtle species are also popular in China as exotic food or for use in traditional medicine.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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