On the 10th of April 2019, one Lucky Lady, Cathay the critically endangered Vietnamese Pond Turtle (Mauremys annamensis) arrived at Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport in Vietnam. At 2 kilograms Cathay is a lovely example of this species which is found nowhere else in the world except for a few provinces in central Vietnam. Cathay had been rescued in Kong Kong where she was transferred to the Kadoorie Farm & Botanical Garden, unfortunately she was all alone as the only member of her species in the centre. Now she’s is back home, Cathay will hopefully find love in Cuc Phuong National Park in northern Vietnam where a few hundred of her species, including some eligible bachelors, are at the Turtle Conservation Centre (TCC). Mr Do Thanh Hao, the manager of the TCC said ‘Thank you so much Kadoorie Farm and Botanical Garden for taking care of this turtle and returning her to Vietnam. We believe this return will not only contribute to the genetic enrichment of the species in captivity in Cuc Phuong but also shows the international collaboration between countries that are working towards conservation together’.
The Asian Turtle Program (ATP) of Indo Myanmar Conservation (IMC) has helped coordinate the return is also working to help identify and protect habitat for the Vietnamese Pond Turtle in the wild. We hope one day soon some of the animals kept and raised in captivity can be back in the wild.
12th April 2019
Press release: Hoang Van Ha – ATP/IMC
Download this press release PDF here: English 
Download this press release PDF here: Vietnamese
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