__________________________________________________________________________________________

THE SLAUGHTER OF SEA TURTLES IN BALI AND INDONESIA

The Island of Bali in Indonesia has been the hub of the sea turtle trade for two decades. The buyers of turtle meat, shells and eggs are mainly found in the Asian markets as well as in Indonesia itself. Turtle meat and eggs are not going to feed the poor, instead they are a privilege of affluent societies. Turtle shell is being used for jewellery and ornaments, all unnecessary objects, for which hundreds of thousands of turtles have to lose their lives.

All eight species of sea turtles are threatened with extinction and therefore strictly protected by CITES, the Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species. Nevertheless, the number of animals - who have inhabited our oceans for over 150 million years - is constantly declining. Until four years ago, in Bali alone, an average of 25,000 sea turtles a year were brutally cut out of their shells alive! As a result of several action and campaigns by Indonesian and European animal welfare organizations, this number has dropped to around 3000 a year.

However, in view of sea turtles being threatened with extinction, every single life is important in order to preserve the population.  The killing of sea turtles in Indonesia is more than just a national problem: For decades, the sea turtles from Bali's waters, which would have supplied the market no longer exist. The animals being killed in Bali are caught all around Indonesia, Borneo, Malaysia, Sipadan and North Australia. After months of transportation, with their front legs pierced and tied up, lying on top of each other in the hull, with neither food nor water, they finally end up in Bali. Herded together in cages, they wait for their horrifying end. Depending on the orders, the turtles are killed, for the national or the international market. The brutality of the killing is unimaginable: With a sharp knife, they separate the lower tortoiseshell from the upper one (the animal is still alive!). Then, they slowly disembowel the turtle without paying any attention to the unbelievable pain of the tortured animal. The agony can last up to half an hour; a total horror, when you consider that sea turtles have a highly developed nervous system – but they are unable to cry…

_________________________________________________________________________________________

.