Turtle Releases in Bali: When Conservation Becomes an Event

“Adopt a turtle.” “Release a baby turtle and save the ocean.” Walk along a Bali beach and you will read these lines more than once. So are turtle releases in Bali good for conservation? Some are. Many are something else: a way to sell an experience, where the timing is set by the guests and not by the turtles. Here is what investigators found, and how to tell the difference.

What investigators found

World Animal Protection assessed 34 wildlife venues in Bali and Lombok in 2023, and later added new findings. Many captive sea turtles were kept in seriously poor conditions. One venue held about 40 turtles, including critically endangered hawksbills, in small, overcrowded tanks with barely enough water to cover them. In one enclosure of around 20 square metres there were 17 turtles. Tourists were regularly allowed to touch the turtles and take selfies, and there were cases of turtles being dropped, which damaged their shells. The report also found that many venues made misleading conservation claims. Its conclusion is clear: keeping animals for entertainment, or breeding them in entertainment venues, has no real conservation benefit.

The mass release in Kuta

One morning in Kuta, a thousand olive ridley hatchlings were released by tourists, company representatives and volunteers, just before an international ocean conference in Bali. Environmentalists said the hatchlings were not treated with care. Most did not scamper towards the waves, as healthy hatchlings usually do. They stayed still on the sand, and participants were encouraged to pick them up and put them in the sea. One participant said the turtles had been kept in buckets of water and made to wait on the beach until important guests arrived. In that account, the clock belonged to the event, not to the turtles.

Why do big hotels still offer turtle releases?

Several large hotels in Nusa Dua and Sanur describe guest turtle releases on their own websites. Some link them to national days or children's days. One says it has released more than 2,500 hatchlings since 2013. Another describes moving hatchlings into a large seawater tank to be fed and cared for before release. We are not saying these hotels act in bad faith. Many work with local groups and want to do something good. But it is easy to see why the practice continues.

Guests love it, and it makes a beautiful photo. It gives a hotel a sustainability story for the brochure. It is offered as a gift to children and families. And we could not find a rule that stops it. The real question is who the event is for. When a release is tied to a holiday or to a group of visitors arriving, people set the schedule, not the hatchlings.

One example is a sea turtle programme shared by two large hotels on the Sanur seafront. It started in November 2023 with a local turtle conservation group authorised by the Bali nature conservation agency. Published descriptions say guests can join turtle feeding sessions in the morning and, in season, a hatchling release in the afternoon. Conservation groups advise releasing hatchlings at night, with only staff handling them. We have not visited, and we do not know how the programme handles these points today. So we are asking the questions, not giving a verdict.

Keeping hatchlings for a short time so they can go into the sea safely at night can be defended. Keeping them so a bigger group can join the event cannot.

Places that call themselves hatcheries and sanctuaries

On Bali and on the Gili Islands, some places call themselves hatcheries, sanctuaries or turtle conservation centres. Some do careful work. Some are tanks with a donation box. We could not verify who runs each place, so the best tool you have is a few good questions.

Questions to ask before you take part

When are the hatchlings released, and is it at night on a quiet beach? Do the eggs stay in the sand where possible? Can visitors touch or hold turtles, or take selfies with them? Are there large turtles in small tanks, and why are they still there? Who runs the project, and do they share data or work with researchers or the local authorities? And does the hatchling set the schedule, or a group of guests? If the answers are unclear, you may prefer to watch turtles in the wild from a distance and give your money to local rangers instead.

Where Ocean Calling stands

We do not visit turtle tanks or join guest hatchling releases. We point people toward groups that protect nests and let hatchlings walk to the sea by themselves, as on Gili Trawangan. You can read our story about Bali and Gili turtles and our questions for turtle pools and hatcheries. Wildlife encounters are unpredictable. Snorkelling with sea turtles should always follow local regulations and experienced professional guidance. If you would like to meet the ocean with this kind of care, you can explore our upcoming retreats.

For a boat day, a roll-top dry bag and a light layer from the boat-day kit keep you comfortable while you watch turtles the calm way, from a distance.

Questions people ask

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Wildlife encounters are never guaranteed and never forced. Ocean Calling works only with vetted, ethical local operators, and every animal is given the freedom to approach, or not, entirely on its own terms.