Lone Vietnamese Turtle May Be Last Of Its Kind

[Guest guest]

Lone Vietnamese Turtle May Be Last Of Its Kind

 

New York (Oct. 9)-- After surviving for thousands of years in the lakes of

Southeast Asia, the East Asian giant softshell turtle may finally be faced

with extinction, as the last member of the species lingers on in Vietnam's

Hoan Kiem Lake. Reptile specialists from the Bronx Zoo-based Wildlife

Conservation Society recently observed the reptile in its last known habitat

and fear it may live out its final years without a mate.

 

" This individual could very well be the last of its kind, " said John Behler,

Curator of Herpetology at the Bronx Zoo, who confirmed that the turtle still

exists in Hoan Kiem Lake. " We know next to nothing about this species or its

habitat requirements, other than the fact that it is extremely rare and is

presumably on the brink of extinction. "

 

Freshwater turtles and tortoises across Asia have become increasingly

endangered by a wide variety of threats, such as collection for local

consumption, and collection for regional and international food and the pet

trade. Of the approximately 90 species of freshwater turtles and tortoises

that occur in South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia and New Guinea, more

than a third are listed in the World Conservation Union's 1996 Red List of

Threatened Species as Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically Endangered.

Asian turtles did receive some good news in 2001, when China, a main market

for the growing trade in turtles for both food and medicine, restricted the

importation of all turtles and tortoises from Cambodia, Thailand and

Indonesia.

 

As for the East Asian giant softshell turtle, other individuals may still

exist in the Red River floodplain, but the only recent sighting is the

five-foot-long turtle that was spotted by Behler, WCS Asian Turtle

Conservation coordinator Doug Hendrie, and WCS veterinarian Paul Calle near

Ngoc Son Temple Island on the north end of Hoan Kiem Lake. " No one knows how

long this turtle has lived in this lake, or where it came from, " added

Behler. " Hopefully, it's not the last, and perhaps other individuals can be

found to study and, if possible, save. "

 

WCS works to save turtles and tortoises both within Asia and around the

world, through research on the ecological needs of different species and by

working with governments to limit trade. Scientists working in the WCS

Marine Program are working to protect marine turtles as well, specifically

along the coast of Nicaragua and in the wider Caribbean, and along the coast

of Gabon in Central Africa.

 

10 October 2003, Science Daily

 

Lamma Animal Protection

http://www.lap.org.hk