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What next for the Hoan Kiem Turtle?
With the sad death of Hanoi’s legendary Hoan Kiem Turtle, Cu Rua (Great Grandfather Turtle) this month many citizens of Hanoi seem at a loss as what to do next. The passing of the old turtle has taken a little of the magic from the heart of Hanoi. But it has also left the future survival of the entire species that Cu Rua belonged to in doubt, the Swinhoe Softshell Turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) is now only represented by three known living individuals globally (2 in China and 1 in Vietnam). Releasing another animal into Hoan Kiem Lake. When considering moving any large animal from the wild into such a small urbanized area such as Hoan Kiem lake the following are all considerations: Environmetnal suitability Stress Threats - Rubbish in the lake has been seen to be a danger - Fishing activities were linked to its poor health and injuries in 2010 with images of a fishhook possibly caught on the front carapce of the animal. Although fishing activities were banned following the treatment in 2011 visible use of hooks and lines can still be seen at present. Link to story on fish hooks. These direct threats are not easily addressed without fencing, patrolling and carefully monitoring an area and this will be difficult to control. Solutions We need to be thinking beyond this generation or even the next. For the legend of Hoan Kiem Turtle to really live on we need to establish a breeding programme that can produce more animals. Right now we are at a crucial point, three animals are known globally, with these there is some potential for conservation breeding to increase numbers. Females of the species can produce 50 - 100 per year, a single year could produce enough hatchlings to give real hope to the species long-term survival. There is however a need for the Vietnamese government and the NGO community (national and international) to invest more heavily in identifying, confirming and protecting more turtles of the species. With a group of Rafetus swinhoei (the Hoan Kiem turtle species) animals could be bred with a long-term objective of reintroducing juveniles back into Hoan Kiem Lake once the lake has been adequately restored and protection conditions met. With the sad passing of the Hoan Kiem Turtle time is clearly running out for the species and the legend. These longer-term solutions are what we should be seeking. Background on the Swinhoe’s Softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) species. Over the course of the last century, the number of large turtles in the Hanoi Lake have dwindled with only a single animal remaining since 1968, the lake has not provided an adequate habitat for a population of the species to breed and survive. Although a famous individual, the Hoan Kiem Turtle, was also an animal of huge conservation importance. He was one of only four Swinhoe's Softshell Turtles (Rafetus swinhoei) known in existence. One animal was confirmed in the wild at Dong Mo Lake, Hanoi, in 2007 by the Asian Turtle Program of Indo-Myanmar Conservation for which an ongoing conservation project continues to try to safeguard the turtle. Two more, a male and a female, have been kept together at the Suzhou Zoo, China, since 2008 and nested annually but no eggs have hatched. Unfortunately an injury sustained during a fight many years ago is believed to have left the male unable to copulate successfully. To date, multiple attempts at artifical insemination have failed. When considering other large native softshell turtles that can be found in Vietnam two other species are present, the Asian Giant Softshell Turtle (Pelochelys cantorii) and Asiatic Softshell Turtle (Amyda cartilaginea). By Tim McCoramck & Pham Van Thong – Asian Turtle Program (ATP) of Indo-Myanmar Conservation (IMC) |
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![]() Hoan Kiem turtle was photographed in July, 2015. Photo by: Nguyen Tai Thang - ATP |
![]() Turtle island, where the giant turtle used to bask . Photo by: Tim McCormack - ATP |
![]() The Dong Mo Turtle, the only other known animal of the species in Vietnam, when it was rescued in 2008. Photo by: Tim McCormack - ATP |
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