Keep them in the wild

A 15 kg (33 pound) Hawksbill turtle struggles toward the ocean on a beach in central Java after being released by an Indonesian known for his efforts to preserve the creatures. For the last three years Agus Santoso has been trying to educate fishermen that turtles are protected species, and helps them out by buying any they catch along a series of beaches not far from Indonesias ancient royal capital, Yogyakarta. He also protects turtle eggs. In a country where smuggling is rife, what makes Santosos initiative even more remarkable is that he gets no funding or help from local authorities or non-governmental organisations. Picture taken Septemeber 24, 2002. REUTERS/Dwi Oblo TO ACCOMPANY FEATURE STORY INDONESIA-TURTLES

THE seizure of 1000 endangered and exotic turtles by Perhilitan underscores a very serious problem - that of the booming exotic pet trade.

This is a multibillion dollar wildlife trade where animals are illegally trafficked and those caught in the wild are often mislabelled as “captive bred.”