A disturbing video has gone viral, showing local residents in Indonesian riding a distressed and endangered leatherback turtle.
According to Unilad, the four-minute video, taken on July 5, shows the turtle trying to get back to the sea after laying her eggs when several men jump on her back. The distressing situation is alleged to have taken place in a remote area of Asukweri Beach.
The video begins with an old man sitting on the back of the turtle posing for photos. Moments later, another man casually jumped on the turtle’s back; then came another man, a kid and a fifth person – all on top of the turtle which looked strained and in pain. As the turtle desperately crawls back to the ocean, one of the men stood on the animal’s flipper and laughed.
Video:
https://www.facebook.com/UNILADAdventure/videos/1093003930891037/?__tn__=kCH-R&eid=ARBWQZaL-gO5HSdTjHnsAgSfcGANHQJAn6PexcAfSwn_B8S2GlQbIrKjPOSobPQG92aKRHYewJ8WFVcn&hc_ref=ARS4sNDMOXJ6H7TuLhz2r9JhK86Z5Z66mkxFRg9jRb-0Xhp05Ul678QBZnXQwO3bTqk&fref=nf&__xts__[0]=68.ARAKgktBETfJu3SwH-vCkrYS5p8s0NvW2lgFxz0KpfFNIiCVxFd1ZoILiDAEi0cj68eOhM8jtWyUoFKUJl_lt9aD4J0Uz-GbRiOeL_203BdxBD6wSSwZfi3P68h0xSUCHjqRKvvVjS9WpKx3uox8qtg2L-qqo5AlC9Zji0_OgtkLwSDQXoHLF09G5Z8UMf3b3yPEJaVvQYzFNNY02UdKrao54d801xChpkJf4k5mGDaNEghp-yHmPvAWBJUGgHzK3r46C7-BJXHloMWYKr64awCQZlfzwi0rbutoMysjpqamHucIBPOdqUZ32ZHgtk0Bj2_uw6auYCHfj6IDwZifHuRavYy1H0FwMJmmbc_PyjhxiExecsPL
Indonesia does have laws to protect the sea turtles. There have not been any reports of pending animal cruelty charges.
UNILAD Adventure “Hi Guys, just wanted to make our intentions clear with this video. We realise the footage is distressing. No one hates seeing this stuff more than us but here on Adventure, we’re passionate about animal welfare and any awareness raised could help towards positive change for our beautiful planet.”
The video has been shared more than two-million times with over 8,000 comments.
Leatherback turtles are the largest turtle species. Their populations have greatly declined due to environment, fisheries, egg collection and human interference.
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