Vietnam is one of the important places globally for turtle biodiversity, with 20 species of solid-shelled turtles and five species of soft-shelled turtles present in the country. Vietnam is also home to two endemic turtle species, one of which is the legendary Hoan Kiem Lake turtle (Rafetus swinhoei).
The Hoan Kiem Lake turtle is considered one of the rarest and the most valuable turtles in the world, and is on the Red List of Threatened Species - said Tim McCormark, a turtle expert from the Asian Turtle Conservation Center.
Tim McCormark stated that while studying turtles in Vietnam in June 2007, he first witnessed the appearance of the Hoan Kiem Lake turtle species in Dong Mo Lake. It is currently thought that there are only four turtles of this species existing in the world including one in Hoan Kiem Lake, one in Dong Mo Lake and two in the south of China.
In November 2008, after historic rain storms in Hanoi, the turtle in Dong Mo Lake had left the confines of the water and had been held captive by local people. Thanks to a quick response by police and foresters, the turtle was released back into his home. He weighed 68 kg at that time.
The last hope to prevent the Hoan Kiem Lake turtle from becoming extinct is mating. This work was carried out by Chinese biologists. One male turtle was paired up with one female turtle in Suzhou Zoo, China. Although they did not succeed, this work brought new hope for the conservation of the Hoan Kiem Lake turtle.
Tim McCormark said that there is proof that the number of Vietnamese turtles has been significantly declining over the past 15 years. The reason for the drop in numbers is the illegal hunting of turtles for sale to China. Surviving turtles are seriously threatened.
According to Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV), since 2005, there have been 434 illegal turtle hunting cases and 163 turtle trafficking cases, with 25 tonnes of turtles, equal to more than 3,000 animals caught. This is only a small part of turtle trafficking which have been discovered by authorities. The real number is much larger.
To cope with this alarming situation, Cuc Phuong National Park in co-operation with ENV has established the Turtle Information Center (under the Vietnam Turtle Conservation Center) with technical assistance from the Asian Turtle Conservation Center in Cleverland Mertroparks Zoo. The Turtle Information Center is also sponsored by other prestigious zoos and organizations such as Auckland Zoo, Taronga Zoo, the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA), Houston Zoo, Kadoorie Farm and Hong Kong Botanic Garden, Perth Zoo and Melbourne Zoo.
With the purpose of saving the Vietnamese turtle, the Turtle Information Center displays a turtles life cycle. The center is expected to make a huge contribution to raising public awareness of turtles and the risks they face. Tim McCormark said: "We encourage the public to play a part in conserving Vietnamese turtles before its too late. Without public assistance, authorities can not prevent turtles and Hoan Kiem Lake turtle in particular from the risk of extinction".
