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Bantul fishermen save giant turtle
BANTUL, Yogyakarta: Fishermen at Samas beach in Srigading, Bantul, managed to save a 70-kilogram lekang sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) that was stranded at the beach and trapped in a fishing net
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ANTUL, Yogyakarta: Fishermen at Samas beach in Srigading, Bantul, managed to save a 70-kilogram lekang sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) that was stranded at the beach and trapped in a fishing net.
"The turtle was at the beach. When I was dragging my net Wednesday, I felt it was so heavy," fishermen Mugari said Thursday.
"I was surprised to find a giant turtle was trapped in my fishing net."
Together with local fishermen, Mugari brought his accidental catch to a turtle breeding center managed by local fishermen.
"We were worried that the turtle was injured after being trapped in the fishing net," Mugari said.
The sea turtle is being treated by the fishermen after sustaining injuries from the net ropes. The sea turtle will be released after it has fully recovered.
Samas elder Rudjito said that in 2000 the local fishermen established the Bantul Turtle Conservation Forum (FKPB) to save turtles from poaching.
The fishermen also operate a breeding ground in which fishermen look out for and buy sea turtle eggs from the locals to be hatched during the egg-laying season from July to September.
So far the fishermen have released more than 3,000 tukik (hatchlings) into the sea. -- JP
