Vietnamese Turtles: A Hope for Their Nation

An endangered turtle in Vietnam, believed to be the second to last one of his species in the wild, has been rescued from the polluted lake he lives in after sustaining several injuries. The turtle is believed to be 80 to 100 years old, and many people in Vietnam consider this turtle to be the mythical creature who helped their king defeat an invading army more than six centuries ago.

Concern grew for the ailing turtle when people began to notice various lesions on his body. Coupled with the turtle’s surfacing more often, once considered a rarity, it was decided that action was needed.

Volunteers and government officials banded together to rescue the turtle. It took a group of more than 50 people almost two hours to move the turtle to a “turtle hospital”—an artificially created raised bed in the middle of the lake.

Ha Dinh Duc, a Vietnamese biologist who has been studying the turtle for decades, believes that pollution is killing the turtle. “I believe the injuries were caused by sharp edges from debris in the lake. The poor quality of water also makes the conditions unbearable for the turtle .”

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Posted by Jason Baker