PHNOM PENH, 6th October 2012 (Cambodia Herald) - The Ministry of
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has helped to secure the return of a
critically-endangered royal turtle to Cambodia after almost 30 years
in Vietnam.
Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) said a ceremony was held in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday for the transfer of the large mangrove terrapin (Batagur affinis).
During the ceremony, Cambodian Fisheries Administration Deputy Secretary General Ing Try presented a certificate of appreciation to Dinh Van Vui, chief executive of Suoi Tien Cultural Tourism Ltd.
ENV said its staff first discovered the turtle at the Sui Tien Cultural Resort on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City in 2010. According to Vui, the turtle had been kept there since the 1980s.
ENV said it spent nearly two years working with Vui, CITES Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City authorities and the Cambodian ministry to secure the turtle’s return. Vietnamese National Assembly member Doan Nguyen Thuy Trang was responsible for "ultimately making it happen," it added.
"We thank Mr Vui for his decision, because this turtle is particularly important to Cambodia," ENV Vice Director Tran Viet Hung said.
"Cambodians value this species as part of their culture, referring to it as the ‘royal turtle’ because at one time Cambodia’s king declared the turtle to be protected by a royal decree and strictly prohibited its hunting."
ENV noted that wild populations of the species in Cambodia have declined "remarkably" over the past few decades and are now found mainly in the Sre Ambel River system.
"Last year, only three females were confirmed to have nested on the sandy riverbanks in this region, a stable but dangerously small fraction of a once-robust local population," a statement said.
Hung said the return of the turtle to Cambodia was significant for the future conservation of the species.
"The race to revive declining wild populations in Cambodia will have a much better chance of success with the introduction of this large, adult female Batagur that is potentially capable of breeding," he said.
"It was this fact alone that drove our efforts to return the turtle to Cambodia.”
Nguyen Dinh Cuong, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Forest Protection Department, welcomed the transfer.
"It’s our responsibility to protect all endangered species, and the best place for rare animals of this significance is in the wild or in special conservation breeding programs," Cuong said.
ENV said the mangrove terrapin was being transferred to a conservation project in Sre Ambel where it will be introduced into a breeding program to boost the low population and increase genetic diversity of the species.
"As part of the breeding program, eggs are hatched in a secure environment, and offspring are released after several years of captive growth," the statement said.
"Protecting breeding adults in the wild and augmenting wild populations with captive releases may be the only hope for preserving the Batagur species in the wild."
Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) said a ceremony was held in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday for the transfer of the large mangrove terrapin (Batagur affinis).
During the ceremony, Cambodian Fisheries Administration Deputy Secretary General Ing Try presented a certificate of appreciation to Dinh Van Vui, chief executive of Suoi Tien Cultural Tourism Ltd.
ENV said its staff first discovered the turtle at the Sui Tien Cultural Resort on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City in 2010. According to Vui, the turtle had been kept there since the 1980s.
ENV said it spent nearly two years working with Vui, CITES Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City authorities and the Cambodian ministry to secure the turtle’s return. Vietnamese National Assembly member Doan Nguyen Thuy Trang was responsible for "ultimately making it happen," it added.
"We thank Mr Vui for his decision, because this turtle is particularly important to Cambodia," ENV Vice Director Tran Viet Hung said.
"Cambodians value this species as part of their culture, referring to it as the ‘royal turtle’ because at one time Cambodia’s king declared the turtle to be protected by a royal decree and strictly prohibited its hunting."
ENV noted that wild populations of the species in Cambodia have declined "remarkably" over the past few decades and are now found mainly in the Sre Ambel River system.
"Last year, only three females were confirmed to have nested on the sandy riverbanks in this region, a stable but dangerously small fraction of a once-robust local population," a statement said.
Hung said the return of the turtle to Cambodia was significant for the future conservation of the species.
"The race to revive declining wild populations in Cambodia will have a much better chance of success with the introduction of this large, adult female Batagur that is potentially capable of breeding," he said.
"It was this fact alone that drove our efforts to return the turtle to Cambodia.”
Nguyen Dinh Cuong, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Forest Protection Department, welcomed the transfer.
"It’s our responsibility to protect all endangered species, and the best place for rare animals of this significance is in the wild or in special conservation breeding programs," Cuong said.
ENV said the mangrove terrapin was being transferred to a conservation project in Sre Ambel where it will be introduced into a breeding program to boost the low population and increase genetic diversity of the species.
"As part of the breeding program, eggs are hatched in a secure environment, and offspring are released after several years of captive growth," the statement said.
"Protecting breeding adults in the wild and augmenting wild populations with captive releases may be the only hope for preserving the Batagur species in the wild."
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