Authorities in the central province of Nghe An on December 3 released an endangered Indochinese box turtle (Cuora galbinifrons) back into its natural habitat in the Pu Huong Nature Reserve.
Hoang Anh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Pu Huong Nature Reserve Management Board, said that the 0.7kg reptile was reintroduced by staff of the reserve in coordination with the Quy Hop Forest Protection Unit and police in Quy Hop commune.
The turtle had earlier been found by local resident on a village road in the commune. After checking its characteristics and identifying it as an endangered wildlife species, he voluntarily brought the animal to the commune police on November 2. Local authorities then coordinated with the Quy Hop Forest Protection Unit to process the handover and arrange for its safe return to the wild.
The Indochinese box turtle is listed in the Vietnam Red Data Book and classified as critically endangered in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. All hunting, trading, captive keeping, and transport for commercial purposes are strictly prohibited.
The Pu Huong Nature Reserve, one of the over 160 special-use forests nationwide, covers more than 46,400ha and forms part of the three core zones of the Western Nghe An Biosphere Reserve, which was named a world biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 2007. Pu Huong is currently home to more than 1,800 species, including 130 on the brink of extinction, according to Tuan./.
