Saving Wildlife

On a beach on the Indonesian island of Bali, environmental activists released about 80 baby sea turtles into the water, as they sought to address poaching of wildlife in the area. Killing turtles, whether to eat them or to sell their skins, was once a common practice among fishermen, in the village located along the Tegal Besar beach, but awareness-raising campaigns and a legal campaign have contributed to the decline in poaching, consumption and trade in turtles. Local residents and tourists attended the event held on Friday, and children released baby turtles into the water, and local fishermen took care of the turtle eggs in their nests in the sand, before the eggs hatched last Monday. A representative of the Ni Ketut Mntekawati turtle conservation community said that fishermen were the ones who took the initiative to protect turtle eggs from other animals, such as dogs, insects, birds and crabs. Turtles are still consumed during religious ceremonies, but a permit must be obtained from a religious institution and the local government, according to local residents. For more on Euronews: Watch: An attempt to smuggle more than 5,000 red-eared turtles into Malaysia was thwarted Watch: An attempt to smuggle 4,100 rare turtles to Russia