Rare turtle species conserved

A box turtle at Xuan Lien Nature Reserve (Photo: VNA)

Thanh Hoa (VNA) – Seven species of turtles have been discovered at Xuan Lien Nature Reserve in the central province of Thanh Hoa as a result of the 2020-2023 project on conserving, rescuing and raising turtles at the facility.

Specially, forest rangers detected four box turtles (Cuora galbinifrons), two big-headed turtles (Platysternon megacephalum), two impressed tortoises (Manouria impressa), one black-breasted leaf turtle (Geoemyda spengleri), one four-eyed turtle (Sacalia quadriocellata), one keeled box turtle (Cuora mouhotii), and softshell turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis).

These species have been listed in the Vietnam Red Book and need to be conserved.

A turtle species at Xuan Lien Nature Reserve (Photo: VNA)

Pham Anh Tam, Director of the Xuan Lien Nature Reserve Management Board, said that in three years implementing the project, the board has conducted seven field investigations on 28 routes with a total length of more than 184 km, and placed 59 camera traps.

It has also handed leaflets to local people and schools, and organised training courses to raise public awareness of conserving turtle species./.

VNA