A large leatherback turtle was rescued by locals in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, after it had become trapped in a nearby swamp.

Jendry and a group of his friends, Ekong, Faldy and Devit, were informed by residents that the huge turtle had been stuck in a swamp for two nights.

The group on June 11 managed to push the reptile from the swamp to the ocean which was about 150 metres away from Oping Beach.

Jendry said: "We were celebrating our friend's birthday at the beach by setting up a tent. We knew there were turtles because when we first arrived at the beach for camping we were greeted with the sound of the turtles and heard the splash of water in the swamp which is approximately 4 metres behind our tent.

"So with the help of a flashlight, we knew that the swamp was there and a big turtle we thought was a crocodile.

"My friends and I realized that the turtle must be rare and protected because it was the first time we saw a turtle of that size.

"There was a bleeding wound on its fin and we decided to help the turtle out of the swamp.

"It was very difficult to evacuate the turtles because of the logs and dried coconuts in the swamp which prevented the turtle from getting out."

It took Jendry and his friends around 2 hours to successfully move the turtle back to the ocean.

A clip shows the group cheer as the reptile swims off after being released into the sea.

"We feel very happy to help the turtle and to be able to return it to the high seas. We are also grateful that we can be there at that moment to help these animals."

The leatherback turtle is listed as "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Chronology: A man named Jendry and his friends were camping on the shores of Oping Beach/Wuriran Tumpaan, Kec. Kakas, Minahasa Regency, North Sulawesi, because it's a friend's birthday.

Then there were residents who told them that a leatherback turtle had been stuck in the swamp for 2 nights.

It is suspected that this Super Rare Turtle had laid its eggs and was trapped in the swamp while heading towards the sea.

Jendry and his friends tried to get the turtles out of the swamp as soon as possible. Because it is quite dangerous for the life of the turtle that lives in salt water (sea), if it is too long in fresh water.

Finally the turtle was rescued and immediately released into the sea


1. The one who pushed the turtle out of the swamp was my friend. to help the turtle out because there are a lot of plant roots and wood in the swamp, the names are ekong, faldy and devit.

2. the location of the swamp behind the beach we visited.
How far is the swamp to get to the sea 100-150 meters

a) Yes, we pushed the turtles from the swamp to the sea together

3. We were celebrating our friend's birthday at the beach by setting up a tent. we knew there were turtles because when we first arrived at the beach for camping we were greeted with the sound of the turtles and heard the splash of water in the swamp which is approximately 4 meters behind our tent, so with the help of a flashlight we knew that the swamp was there the big turtle we thought was a crocodile

a) my friends and I realized that the turtle must be rare and protected because it was the first time we saw a turtle of that size and also there was a bleeding wound on the fin and we decided to help the turtle out of the swamp.

b) it was very difficult to evacuate the turtles because of the logs and dried coconuts in the swamp which prevented the turtles from getting out.. the duration for us to help the turtles out of the swamp was approximately 2 hours and there were 3 who helped the turtles out of the swamp. people and herded them from the swamp to the sea there were a lot of people around 15 more who took turns to push and even take sea water to be splashed on the turtles so they wouldn't overheat through the beach sand.

c) Of course, we feel very happy to help the turtle and can return to the high seas and we are also grateful that we can be there at that moment to help these step animals.