On the morning of 1st of August 2017, one juvenile Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) was released back to the sea by Mr. Dong, the new chairman of Quang Duc commune, Hai Ha district, Quang Ninh province. Reportedly, Mr. Dong had purchased this turtle from a local trader then contacted Hai Ha district ranger station to transfer the turtle for rescue and release. However, as there is no rescue centre available for marine turtles in Vietnam, the decision was made to quickly release the turtle back into the wild.
Interestingly, a trilingual simple red tag was designed, printed, and attached to the rear of the carapace. The message written in Vietnamese, English and Chinese, read “Please do not harm this creature”.
ATP NOTE: This is the first time we have seen a conservation message printed in three different languages, attached to the released turtle. We often see other types of messages written on the turtle’s shell or carapace, of which, people often ask for good things for themselves.
DATE: 3rd August 2017
Press release by: Hoang Van Ha – ATP/IMC
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