By: Sunda Banda Seascape Communication & Campaign Team, WWF-Indonesia

Tuesday afternoon (7/2), there was a bustling atmosphere on Kuta Beach, opposite Kuta Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Bali. Among the tourists and media cameras, there were seven green turtles (Chelonia mydas) that were being treated by the medical staff of the Turtle Conservation and Education Center (TCEC) Serangan before they were ready to be released.

These turtles are the result of investigations by the Directorate of Water Police of Bali Regional Police (Ditpolair Polda) from two smuggling cases that were successfully thwarted on December 9, 2016 and January 26, 2017 in Serangan and Jembrana.

Seven female green turtles on the shores of Kuta Beach that day caught the attention of visitors to Kuta Beach who were passing by. With varying carapace lengths, one by one the turtles were moved to a place protected from the sun. The largest green turtle can reach a carapace length of 75 cm and a width of 77 cm.

To keep the wildlife from becoming dehydrated, the medics provided wet towels, dippers, and containers of water. They also tried to calm the turtles, who seemed anxious to return to the ocean.

"Of the nine green turtles investigated by Ditpolair Polda Bali that were deposited at TCEC, there are two turtles that are still undergoing further treatment so they cannot be released. Meanwhile, the seven turtles released today are already in good health," said one of TCEC Serangan's medical personnel, Drh. Maulid Dio Suhendro, S.KH.

At around 4 p.m., the release began. Together with the TCEC team, all the green turtles were released one by one by Kombes Pol. Ir. Sukandar, MM as Director of Bali Police, along with the Bali Police police ranks. In this release event, Ditpolair Bali also invited the presence of Bali Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA), Denpasar Coastal and Marine Resources Management Center (BPSPL), Bali Sea Turtle Society (BSTF), Turtle Guard, Nusa Dua Reef Foundation, Indonesian Aquatic Megafauna, and WWF-Indonesia.