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onservationists are calling for better rehabilitation for turtles — especially those being smuggled in from outside the islands — before they are returned into their habitat.

They said the police needed to build better coordination methods with conservation agencies to ensure that the turtles were in good condition when confiscated from the smugglers and would be able to survive when released.

A turtle conservationist from Udayana University, Windia Adnyana, said the smuggled turtles were generally in captivity for a long time before being sold a turtle fence. While in captivity, the animals are treated poorly, causing some of them to get sick or even die.

“The turtles are usually captured in their feeding grounds. It is not easy to collect many turtles at once. The ‘hunters’ might need around two to three months to collect the turtles that they sell to the fence.”

In many cases, 40 percent of the turtles die by the time the police uncover the operation, he said.

The police usually release the turtles soon after arresting the smugglers without checking whether or not the animals are ready to be released back into their habitat, despite months of improper treatment in captivity, he said.

“The officers from the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), as well as practitioners, should assist the police in checking the turtles’ condition. If they are not in good condition, they should be taken to a rehabilitation center for treatment until they’re fully recovered.”

Bali has the Turtle Conservation and Education Center in Serangan island, but the community-based facility, built in 2006, is rarely used in smuggling cases, he added.

The island has seen many turtle smuggling attempts, especially the endangered green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), driven by high consumer demand.

Windia said at least 1,000 to 2,000 turtles are smuggled into Bali every year. Most of those are turtles that have yet to breed, thus further threatening their population.

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Most of the turtles might not able to survive once they are released, because they were not being well taken care of.

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“If we allow them to live normally in their natural habitat, they could nest around five to six times. Removing these turtles from their habitat is a huge loss.”

Endang Husaini, head of the Denpasar BKSDA office, agreed that many of the turtles being released back into their habitat after capture were in weak condition.

“Most of the turtles might not able to survive once they are released, because they were not being well taken care of,” he said.

Last week, the Bali Marine Police seized 38 turtles that were smuggled from Madura island into Bali’s Karangasem regency.

Five of the turtles died when the police seized the animals from the suspects, while others were not able to swim when released into the sea.