Sympathy for endangered species on the rise in Bali

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 11/22/2007 11:36 AM | Life

Alit Kertaraharja, The Jakarta Post, Singaraja

Balinese people's awareness of the importance of protecting endangered animals is on the rise, as indicated by the release of newly hatched baby turtles into the sea by fishermen in Seririt, Buleleng, on Tuesday.

The fishermen set free 15 of 85 baby turtles, which belong to an endangered species protected under Law No. 5/1990 and a 1999 government regulation.

Local fishermen also released nine adult turtles into the sea earlier in the year. ""This ceremony was the first to be conducted by the fishermen. But their awareness of the importance of protecting endangered animals has been improving since the release of the nine adult turtles earlier this year,"" Sulanyah village head Gede Sutarma said during the release of the 15 baby turtles.

The turtle release was witnessed by Seririt district head IGN Wiarsana, the head of the Bali Natural Resources Office, Putu Citra S.A., and the founder of the Pemuteran turtle project, Christ Brown.

Sulanyah beach has long been known as a favorite site for turtles to lay eggs. Local people often find eggs scattered across the sand. Many of the eggs are eaten by dogs or simply collected by residents for consumption.

""Basically they didn't know how to care for the eggs until they hatched, until now,"" Sutarma said.

About two months ago, local people found an adult turtle that was ready to lay eggs. Unsure what to do, they contacted Brown, who has been developing the Pemuteran turtle project in Gerokgak district.

Following Brown's suggestion, the local people collectively tended and protected the turtle until it finally laid 350 eggs.

On Nov. 17, 85 of the eggs hatched and 15 of them, which were strong enough to survive, were released into the sea.

The rest of them are being raised in the Pemuteran project's nursery until they are of sufficient size to be released.

About 250 eggs are being kept on the nearby beach. ""We are waiting to see whether they are going to hatch,"" said Sutarma, who acted as the coordinator of the baby turtle release.

Bali has been in the spotlight over the last few years as it is considered to be a location where turtles are butchered for their meat. Protests have come from many parts of the world with urgent calls to the government to end the slaughter.

Their protest is understandable as the endangered turtles, which can be found in all oceans throughout the world, belong to the global community. The turtles frequently emigrate long distances in a relatively short period of time. They can travel 3,000 kilometers in 58 to 73 days, according to experts' observation.

Turtles have various cycles to lay eggs from once in two years, to once in eight. Turtles that once laid eggs on Indonesian beaches can frequently be found around Hawaii.

While male turtles spend most of their time at sea, the female ones go to the beaches when they are about to lay eggs. On the sandy beaches, the female turtles lay eggs and bury them in a hole. Out of hundreds of eggs laid by a female turtle, only dozens reach the sea.

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