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ozens of local and foreign tourists teamed up with Bali Police officers Thursday to release 79 turtles into the sea on Kuta beach.

The turtles were those that had survived from 87 that were confiscated from an animal smuggling den in Kubu village in Karangasem, East Bali, on Wednesday.

The turtles had been smuggled from South Sulawesi to Bali to be sold for their meat.

Kuta coastal guards and local vendors also helped carry the 79 turtles, together worth around Rp 500 million (US$50,000), into the sea under a searing sun.

“I am glad to help. The guards and the people here are doing their job, which is good,” said Victor Borg, a tourist from Sydney.

Two out of the original 87 confiscated turtles, each weighing at least 100 kilograms, died and four others were deemed too sick to be released into the sea, according to an official at Bali Natural Conservation Agency.

The turtles were shipped by Habong, a resident of Wakatobi in South Sulawesi, to Bali on a motor boat on Wednesday.

“I did it to make a living and I just wanted to find a market in Bali. I heard that Balinese people like
eating turtle meat,” Habong told the police.

Bali Police Chief Insp. Gen. Hadiatmoko told reporters after releasing the turtles that the police
were currently hunting for “buyers” in Bali.

“There is no way anyone would ship these turtles to Bali without knowing that there would be persons who would take their smuggled turtles,” Hadiatmoko said.

Habong could face a maximum five-year jail sentence and Rp 100 million fine for violating Law No. 5/l990 on the Conservation of Biodiversity and Ecosystem.

Hadiatmoko said Bali was a hot spot for animal smuggling, including turtles.

“Bali has become a lucrative black market for turtles shipped from Sulawesi, the Nusa Tenggara provinces as well as East Java province,” he said.

Bali’s black market also sells various rare and endangered animals and exotic reptiles, he added.

The police, he said, would take stern action against turtle smugglers. “We expect people to participate in eliminating this illicit trade.”

The release of the turtles was aimed at protecting the endangered species from extinction.

“Before releasing the turtles into the sea, we attached transmitters on them to enable us to monitor their movements via satellite,” said Made Jaya Rata, a turtle researcher from the University of Udayana in Denpasar.

Jaya Rata said Bali had developed a booming turtle black market, fueled by a growing taste for the animal’s flesh.

“People are still eager to consume turtle meat, which sells for between Rp 50,000 and Rp 80,000 per kilogram on the black market,” he said.

Consuming turtle meat is illegal in Bali, which is home to several turtle conservation movements.

“People may use turtle meat for religious ceremonies,” he added.