Bali, Den Pasar
Long ago the people of Bali believed that their paradise island lay on the back of a turtle who floated in the ocean. Nowadays, Balinese respect for this strong and friendly looking animal seems to be gone. Each year more than 10,000 turtles are killed. Hindu rituals are to blame say Balinese. "It's my heritage and my tradition" Made, local fisherman of Ketewel, Bali. But only a small portion of the turtles are used in Hindu rituals, Bali's main religion. Unfortunately, most of the turtles end up as local dishes.
For many Balinese the turtles, sold for between 200.000 to 500.000 Rupiah (20 to 50 dollars), are good business. Hundreds of restaurants and food stalls around Den Pasar sell turtle meat, but the Balinese eating habits are severely threatening the turtles, especially the green turtle. Around the tiny island of Serangan, about 12 kilometers from Bali, the green turtle has vanished. Turtle poachers now sail their ships to the islands of Nusa Tenggara, Sulawesi, Maluku and even Irian Jaya to look for green turtles.
Last year the governor of Bali signed a decree which bans the trade of protected animals, including the green turtle. Outraged by the ban some 200 turtle poachers and dealers from the fishing village of Tanjung Benoa, the center of the turtle trade in Bali, vandalized the local WWF office. The angry poachers sprayed graffiti on the walls and threatened to burn down the office. While the turtle trade has only enriched a small number of dealers, the majority of the fishermen and market sellers live in poverty. Many Balinese depend on the turtle trade for their living. In their eyes the WWF is the dominant factor behind the change in government policy.
Charges have now been filed against the owner of the largest turtle poaching operation. There is however no hope that the turtle trade might stop soon. Indonesian law on illegal animal trade does not have a minimum penalty. In addition corruption in the government and the courts severely undermines all government policies. Unstable politics in Jakarta and other more urgent problems (separatist movements and religious violence in the islands of Irian Jaya, Sumatra's Aceh and the Maluku's) have further caused the illegal trade in endangered species like turtles, orangutans and hornbill birds to flourish.
