A report from local residents set a rescue effort in motion, and this week 20 green sea turtles were back in the ocean off Bali. Police said they found 22 turtles alive aboard an unmanned boat near Serangan Island on Oct. 10. Three days later, conservation partners and marine police returned 20 to the water after health checks. Two remained under care.
The first alert came from people in the area who reported suspected wildlife transport in Serangan’s waters, according to the Indonesian National Police. Officers with Bali’s Water and Air Police unit followed up from Patrol Boat RIB 107, monitoring the area. They became suspicious of a blue boat near Serangan Beach because, police said, it did not resemble fishing boats commonly seen there.
Officers found 22 green turtles inside the boat, all alive, police said. They secured the animals and vessel as evidence, then brought them to the Water Police Command headquarters. The boat was unmanned when officers reached it, and police said the suspected person had fled on learning of their arrival. Handling of the animals was coordinated with Bali’s Natural Resources Conservation Agency, known as BKSDA. In its Oct. 12 account, police said the suspected perpetrator remained under investigation and was being pursued. AP later quoted Bali police official Gusti Agung Purnama Wirahadi, who said he hoped the operation would discourage further capture and trade. The police report did not name anyone or describe a court finding.
From the command headquarters, the turtles went to the Turtle Conservation and Education Center, or TCEC, on Serangan for observation and health examinations, according to Kura Kura Bali, a partner in the release. The company said veterinarians and students from Udayana University’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine took part through the Turtle Guard program. Those checks determined which animals were fit to return and which needed additional treatment.
On Oct. 13, authorities released 20 turtles along the Serangan coast. The Associated Press reported that officers completed final checks at the conservation center before carrying the animals with blue cloths to a small truck and taking them to the shoreline. Kura Kura Bali said the assessments found 20 fit for release.
Two turtles remained under treatment at TCEC after the release. Kura Kura Bali said they would be reassessed before any decision about their release, but did not give a date for that evaluation. The Oct. 13 action was a health-based checkpoint in a process that continued for the animals still needing care.
Kura Kura Bali described the release as a joint effort involving Bali marine police, the Denpasar Marine Management Office, TCEC, WWF Indonesia, Udayana’s Turtle Guard and Bali Turtle Island Development. It also says its zone served as the release site for 21 green turtles rescued in July. As zone manager, the company said its role was to keep the coast safe, clean and suitable for conservation work. Its account supplies local context, not an independent assessment of conservation results.
The species involved is Chelonia mydas, the green turtle. The Associated Press reports that sea turtles have been protected under Indonesian conservation and fisheries laws since 1990, with a 2018 regulation clarifying protections for the six species found in the country’s waters and other rules prohibiting trade. NOAA Fisheries lists green turtles in Appendix I of CITES. NOAA describes them as the world’s largest hard-shelled sea turtle and says they eat mostly seaweed, seagrasses and algae. It reports that green turtles live in coastal areas of more than 140 countries and nest in over 80. The agency lists broad threats including fishing bycatch, habitat loss, marine debris and direct harvest; these are species-level pressures, not a measure of conditions near Serangan.
In the account, the residents’ tip was the bridge between a suspected wildlife movement and a trained response. Officers handled the immediate rescue; staff and veterinary partners provided observation and treatment. That handoff—information shared, then animals assessed before release—offers the clearest picture of how the rescue unfolded in Serangan.
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