Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Announces Discovery of Nearly Extinct Giant Turtle in Northern Vietnam

CLEVELAND, April 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo today announced the discovery of a critically endangered turtle in northern Vietnam that previously was thought to be extinct in the wild. Experts from the Zoo's Asian Turtle Program confirmed they have identified the only known living specimen of a Swinhoe's soft-shell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) in nature.

After three years of searching, Zoo-sponsored researchers focused on a lake just west of Hanoi after residents reported spotting the gigantic turtle there. Field biologists, along with Education for Nature in Vietnam, found and photographed the turtle, allowing scientists to verify it was the rare Swinhoe's soft-shell turtle, which is considered a national treasure in Vietnam.

"This is an incredibly important discovery because the Swinhoe's turtle is one of the most critically endangered species of turtle in the world," said Doug Hendrie, the Vietnam-based coordinator of Cleveland Metroparks Zoo's Asian Turtle Program. "This species has legendary status among the people of Vietnam, so this is perhaps an opportunity for the legend to live on."

Other than the recently discovered turtle, only three others are known to remain -- two at zoos in China and one in the Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi.

"This is one of those mythical species that people always talked about but no one ever saw, so it's hugely significant that we found this lone turtle in the wild," said Geoff Hall, General Curator of the Zoo. "It gives us some hope for a species that truly is on the verge of extinction."

Their demise is due to hunters who killed them for food, loss of nesting habitats and pollution.

The largest freshwater turtle in the world, the Swinhoe's turtle can weigh up to 300 pounds and measure up to 3-1/2 feet with some living to more than 100 years old.

The Asian Turtle Program is a conservation initiative of Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and the Cleveland Zoological Society with support from Conservation International, the Turtle Survival Alliance and the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is home to 3,000 animals representing 600 species from six continents. Committed to improving the future for wildlife, the Zoo runs conservation initiatives both locally and abroad, supporting field scientists in Asia, Latin America and Africa.

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    Tom O'Konowitz (216) 635-3310
    to@clevelandmetroparks.com

    Sue Allen, Manager (216) 635-3338
    sja@clevelandmetroparks.com