One day in May 2019, the Head of the Field Officer Team from the Indonesian Turtle Foundation (YPI) reported that a green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) was found stranded deep inside the forest of Belambangan Island. At that time, the turtle was found immobile, as its body was entangled in roots and its movement was obstructed by saplings scattered throughout the island’s forest. The rangers then decided to guide the turtle toward the sea by clearing the path. This rescue operation lasted for 30 minutes before the turtle successfulaly swam back into the ocean.
Video of the Female Turtle Lost in the Forest on Belambangan Island
It is unclear why the female turtle got lost and decided to venture deep into the forest. This was the first such case on Belambangan Island. In 2018, a small team from YPI was sent to Cape Verde in Africa for a study on turtle management organized by a local organization called Fundacao Tartaruga on an island named Boa Vista. There, YPI rangers reported that many loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) got lost and ended up far inland. The reason these turtles became disoriented was the light pollution caused by a hotel owned by a private Spanish company. The turtles became confused by the lights there, ventured further inland, lost their orientation toward the ocean, and ultimately died from the intense heat of the Boa Vista desert.
YPI Team Attempting to Save Loggerhead Turtles Near a Spanish Hotel on Boa Vista Island
However, there is no light pollution on Belambangan Island itself. The nearest light source comes from a lighthouse tower on a neighboring island, located about 5 kilometers away. The visible light sources include fishing lights from Karang Besar Batu Putih and the light from the capital of Berau, Tanjung Redeb, hundreds of miles away from this remote island. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that the turtle became lost due to disorientation from light pollution. For reference, in January 2019, at least 96 turtles were found along the coastline in Israel, with the following details:
- 69 loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta)
- 16 green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas)
- 11 other unidentified turtles
All of the turtles, both alive and dead, were brought to the Israel Nature & Park Authority (INPA) and Sea Turtle Rescue Centre (STRC). The documentation and reports came from the public via the INPA hotline, social media, and STRC volunteers. The medical triage, intensive treatment, conventional medicine, and fluids were carried out by a team led by Dr. Itzhak Aiznberg. A post-mortem examination was also conducted on 7 turtle samples. The CT scan of the injured live turtles revealed significant trauma symptoms: pulmonary hemorrhaging in the lungs and fluid accumulation (infection) in the turtles’ middle ears. Such symptoms are usually caused by shockwaves (from explosions) underwater at a significant level. For example, large ships conducting oil exploration that use blasting techniques with compressed air released through an air gun. This activity is typically called seismic exploration, used to create a three-dimensional real map of the seabed. So far, there has been no information about seismic activities in the waters of Berau Regency, nor any potential underwater shockwaves. However, local communities and fishermen have reported that fish bombing is still rampant. On May 23, 2019, the YPI team, along with the Air and Water Police, conducted a patrol in Karang Muaras, where they witnessed two bomb explosions within just 30 minutes. The team attempted to approach the suspected fish bombers but got stranded due to low tide. The team was only able to capture several images and videos from drones sent towards the suspected bombers. 
YPI and Air and Water Police Patrol in Karang Muaras, Berau
With the increasing occurrence of fish bombing, it is suspected that the green sea turtle’s disorientation was caused by shockwaves from the fish bombs, which damaged the middle ear of the turtle and disrupted the turtles’ navigation.
