Endangered Turtle Rediscovered in Thailand

Endangered Turtle Rediscovered in Thailand

    
January 2007  - A rare mangrove 
terrapin, a species of turtle that has not been seen in the 
wild in Thailand for over 20 years, has been caught by a 
fisherman in the western part of the country. 
Realizing that this was a rare find, the village contacted a 
local specialist from WWF Thailand’s Marine and Coastal 
Resources Unit, based in the coastal province of Phang Nga, 
some 800 kilometers (500 miles) from the capital, Bangkok. 
"In Thailand, this species is considered to be critically 
endangered and is classified similarly in Cambodia, Vietnam 
and Malaysia," said Dr. Chavalit Vidthayanon, a freshwater 
biologist with WWF Thailand. 
An adult female mangrove terrapin, Batagur baska, also called 
river terrapin and Asian river terrapin (Photo courtesy Asian 
Turtle Conservation Network) 
"In the past, villagers could catch up to 1,000 of these 
terrapins a year for their eggs, meat and shells," he said. 
Today, mangrove terrapins are facing extinction in the wild, 
especially in Thailand. The main threats are hunting, egg 
harvesting, loss of habitat and nesting beaches, and the 
incidental drowning in fishing nets. 
The fisherman caught a female terrapin weighing 28 kilograms 
(62 pounds) and measuring over 50 centimeters (19.5 inches) in 
length. 
Because females lay their eggs at the end of the year, from 
November to January, it is believed that this terrapin was on 
her way up the river to lay her eggs on an undisturbed 
sandbank or beach. 
Dr. Vidthayanon and other WWF scientists have recommended that 
the terrapin be brought to a fisheries department facility to 
be cared for and bred so that her offspring can be released 
back into the wild. 
Biologist Dr. Chavalit Vidthayanon heads WWF Thailand's Marine 
and Freshwater Unit. (Photo by Jo Benn courtesy WWF 
International) 
"She is probably very lucky that she wasn’t eaten or sold to a 
wildlife trader," said Vidthayanon. 
WWF Thailand now plans to develop a project that will protect 
the headwaters of the Klong Tum, where the terrapin was 
discovered, as well as continue efforts to research the rare 
species. 
"The discovery of a species that was believed to be extinct in 
Thailand is considered to be a very important event," said 
Songpol Tippayawong, head of WWF Thailand’s Marine and Coastal 
Resources Unit. 
"It shows that the natural habitat, in which it was found, is 
still rich and should be conserved." 
Mangrove terrapins, Batagur baska, represent one of Asia’s 
largest species of freshwater turtles. They are distinguished 
by an upturned snout and feet with only four claws, while 
other turtles have five. 
Head of an adult female mangrove terrapin (Photo courtesy 
Asian Turtle Conservation Network) 
Feeding on the seed pods of mangrove and other coastal trees 
as well as shrimp and crabs, mangrove terrapins live in creeks 
and estuaries on the Andaman coast, from Bangladesh, Myanmar, 
Thailand, and Malaysia to as far as Sumatra in Indonesia, as 
well as in the South China Sea in the Gulf of Thailand, 
Cambodia and Vietnam. 
This species is called the "Royal Turtle" in Cambodia because 
its eggs were a delicacy once eaten only by the royal family. 
Once widespread and abundant throughout southeast Asia, the 
species was thought to have disappeared in Cambodia until it 
was rediscovered in 2001. Conservationists began tagging the 
terrapins with tracking devices and monitoring their nests, 
and King Norodom Sihamoni personally ordered their protection. 

In Malaysia, rivers of Kedah, Perak and Terengganu are major 
nesting grounds, though the population continues to crash 
despite conservation efforts undertaken by Malaysian Wildlife 
Department for over 20 years. 
Pasir Temir and Pasir Lubuk Kawah by the Terengganu River are 
the largest nesting sites for Batagur baska in the world. 
Currently, the species is not specifically protected under 
Malaysian national wildlife protection laws.