Indonesian Police and Foreign Tourists Released About 100 Protected Green Turtles That Were Confiscated From a Boat En Route to Bali to Become Food.

Sick mothers. Not even turtles are safe.

Article:

Tourists, police release 100 turtles saved from pot in Indonesia

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Thu Feb 23, 9:58 AM ET

KUTA BEACH, Indonesia (AFP) - Indonesian police and foreign tourists released about 100 protected green turtles that were confiscated from a boat en route to the resort island of Bali.

"We released about 100 turtles of various sizes at Kuta Beach," water police officer Arief told AFP, adding that tourists also helped release the reptiles, some of which had carapaces measuring 50 centimetres (20 inches) in diameter.

Two of the turtles were being kept as evidence, Arief said.

"The turtles are a protected species and the boat master and his crew will be charged with violating the law on nature conservation and a 1999 government regulation on flora and fauna," he said.

The turtles, saved on Wednesday, had come from Indonesia's South Sulawesi and were to be sold in Bali, where turtle meat is widely consumed, including as part of local Bali-Hinduist religious rites.

Its shells are also crafted into souvenirs for tourists.

Indonesia, home to important migrations routes at the crossroads of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, is home to six out of seven of the world's turtle species.