I Made Kikik: Saving the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle

KOMPAS/ICHWAN SUSANTO

I Made Kikik

Kikik is just an ordinary fisherman in Gianyar, Bali, who goes out to sea every day. Unlike other fishermen, however, he has spent the past four years breeding sea turtles of the olive ridley species (Lepidochelys olivacea). At least 100 turtles hatch every day in sand pools made of concrete.

The hatching ponds are located on the black Saba Beach in Saba village, Blahbatuh subdistrict. The location is relatively easy to find, because it is close to the Villa Jeeva Saba resort and the Pura Anyar temple with their very large and lush trees.

The sand on the beach was very hot in the afternoon sun on Thursday (1/11/2018). A number of journalists had been invited by the Environment and Forestry Ministry and Indonesia Power to report on the release of 200 hatchlings bred by the Saba Asri Turtle Conservation Group in Saba, which is chaired by I Made Kikik. Indonesia Power, through its corporate social responsibility program, helped procure water pumping machines and hatcheries for Saba Asri.

The turtle-nesting season on the beaches of Gianyar regency lasts from around March-August. At night during the season, Kikik and other members of the Saba Asri group as well as volunteers walk along the beaches of Saba, Biaung, Lepang, Purnama and Masceti to find nests abandoned by mother turtles. They race against wild dogs that usually feast on turtle eggs in that season.

In each nest, they can find up to 100 eggs to be taken to the hatchery ponds. In the 2018 nesting season, they found 317 nests, far more than the 115 found in the previous year.

Many turtles choose Saba Beach and its surroundings for nesting, as the beaches are relatively safe from the tide. Turtle eggs need a place that is not submerged in water.

To increase the chances of hatching, the eggs in the nest are placed in sand pools that are safe from wild dogs and water. After 45 days, the eggshells tend to crack. “The hatching success rate is 80 percent,” said Kikik

The hatchlings are then kept in seawater pools that are only 10 centimeters deep. The fishermen now face the challenge of not just protecting eggs but feeding live animals. To support 50 hatchlings, they need 1 kilogram of shrimp or tuna for every mealtime, or 2 kg per day. The price of shrimp is Rp 80,000 per kilogram, meaning they have to come up with Rp 160,000 each day. During the season, hundreds of hatchlings wait to be fed by the fishermen in the morning and evening. If food is lacking, the hatchlings will bite each other, increasing the risk of death.

“Often we have to spend our own money or borrow money first. Later, when there is money from [tourists], who are charged for releasing the hatchlings to the sea, we will be repaid,” said Kikik.

Turtles on Saba Beach

The Saba Asri Turtle Conservation Group managed by the fishermen charges tourists Rp 50,000 for releasing one hatchling. The funds collected are then used to improve the facilities and infrastructure. “There is no payment for members involved in the activity,” Kikik said.

Unsurprisingly, the group, which originally had eight members, is now down to only four. The others left because they did not get any economic benefits from the turtle breeding. Kikik is hoping for donors who routinely help with the daily operations of this turtle-breeding work.

Kikik became involved in turtle conservation about 10 years ago. At that

time, after returning from the sea, he saw a wild dog eating turtle eggs on the beach. The incident disturbed and struck him. He became aware that the turtles were facing a very large threat from the wild dogs, and from residents oblivious to the importance of conservation.

Then, he swung into action, collecting the eggs from one nest and moving them to styrofoam boxes at his home. Eighty hatchlings emerged from some 100 eggs he watched over. “Apparently, it is not difficult to incubate these turtle eggs,” he said.

He then invited tourists to release the olive ridley sea turtles into the sea. To his surprise, the event attracted the local media.

His engagement saw him summoned by officials from the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP). “I honestly didn’t know that turtles were protected animals," he said.

Fortunately, the BKSDA showed understanding for Kikik’s position and is now actively assisting him in raising turtles. In 2014, he received Rp 50 million in assistance from the district administration for turtle breeding.

Donors from the Bali Zoo, the Widya Guna Foundation and donor agencies also took part. Among other things, they helped build fences around the hatchery to protect the eggs from dogs.

He is still surprised by the change in his life after he became engaged in turtle conservation. “I used to be a drinker and gambler. After getting to know about the turtles, all that stopped somehow. This is the positive side that I feel personally,” he said.

Did the turtle conservationist then leave the world of fishing behind? Kikik said he could split his time between hatching eggs and catching fish.

“In the dry season, fish is usually rare. That’s the time when the turtles lay their eggs, so we can find eggs. Conversely, the fishing season

coincides with the rainy season, when turtles rarely lay eggs. So, at that time, we work to catch fish,” he said.

Besides looking for eggs in natural nests, Kikik also receives eggs collected from fishermen in other regions, such as Klungkung and Amed. “They bring the eggs here for hatching. There are those who sell them for Rp 3,000 per item, some are just left and will be taken after hatching,” he said.

So far, the Saba Asri Turtle Conservation Group has released 2,327 hatchlings on Saba Beach. At the hatchery, Kikik still has 2,500 hatchlings that are ready to be released into their habitat.

I Made Kikik

Born: Gianyar, Nov. 16, 1967

Wife: Ni Wayan Parwati, 45,

Children: Ni Wayan Winiasih, 26, and I Kadek Kerta Saba, 19

Education: SD 3 Saba

Occupation: Fisherman at Saba Beach and turtle breeder