Acres Trying to Repatriate 30 Seized Endangered Turtles Back to Indonesia

Wildlife rescue group Acres is looking to send 30 endangered pig-nosed turtles, seized from the wildlife trade in Singapore, back to Indonesia in January 2026, The Sunday Times has learnt.

- Angelica Ang

The planned repatriation of these freshwater turtles, named for their large, fleshy noses that resemble a pig's snout, will be one of the group's biggest and most ambitious yet, its chief executive Kalaivanan Balakrishnan told ST.

Acres, or the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society, has repatriated more than 70 animals since it was formed in 2001.

This includes sending 51 Indian star tortoises — considered vulnerable to extinction — back to India in 2018, and two critically endangered giant Asian pond turtles to Malaysia in 2019.

Sending the pig-nosed turtles home will be far more costly, Mr Kalaivanan said. He expects the repatriation of these hefty turtles to cost at least $40,000, for two flights and a boat ride.

Each pig-nosed turtle weighs around 4kg to 6kg. They are fully aquatic and have to be exposed to moisture throughout their journey home, making the journey expensive and complicated, he said.

The cost of repatriating animals to Malaysia is much lower, Mr Kalaivanan said. This is because the animals are transported only across the border, he added.

Pig-nosed turtles are naturally found in Indonesia, Australia and Papua New Guinea. They have a very restricted range, occupying only freshwater and estuarine habitats in the Northern Territory of Australia and New Guinea's southern lowlands.

They are often traded internationally as exotic pets due to their unique appearance.