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  Yahoo News 11 Jan 07
Turtle thought extinct found in Thailand
By Michael Casey, AP Environmental Writer

WWF 10 Jan 07
Rare giant turtle rediscovered in Thailand

TaKua Tung, Thailand: A local villager fishing in a mangrove in western Thailand got a surprise when he caught in his net a large turtle. The catch turned out to be a rare mangrove terrapin, a species that has not been observed in the wild in Thailand for over 20 years.

Realizing that this was an unusual 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 800km 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 at WWF Thailand.

"In the past, villagers could catch up to one thousand of these terrapins a year for their eggs, meat and shells." Today, the mangrove terrapin population has been drastically reduced and is 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 female mangrove terrapin that was found weighed in at 28kg and measured over 50cm in length. It was suspected that she was on her way to nest.

"She is probably very lucky that she wasn't eaten or sold to a wildlife trader," added Dr Vidthayanon. "We 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."

WWF Thailand also plans to develop a project to 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."

END NOTES:

Mangrove terrapins (Batagur baska) are one of Asia's largest freshwater turtles. They 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. Mangrove terrapins feed on the seed pods of mangrove and other coastal trees. Smaller terrapins also eat shrimp and crabs.

Mangrove terrapins have small heads and an upturned snout. The feet are webbed with only four claws. The body and shell is brownish-black, the underside a bit lighter. They lay their eggs at the end of the year, from November to January, during which time the females will travel up the rivers to lay their eggs in undisturbed sandbanks or beaches. Females can lay 2-3 clutches of approximately 20 eggs. The eggs have an incubation period of about two months.

Yahoo News 11 Jan 06
Turtle thought extinct found in Thailand
By Michael Casey, AP Environmental Writer

BANGKOK, Thailand - Thai villagers have caught a river terrapin turtle that was thought to be extinct in the country, a leading conservation group said Wednesday.

The female turtle--known for its egg-shaped shell and upturned snout--was found Jan. 3 in a mangrove canal in Phang Nga province on the country's Andaman coast, said the World Wide Fund for Nature-Thailand.

It was the first time the species was found in Thailand in two decades, the WWF said. "The discovery of a species that was believed to be extinct in Thailand is considered to be a very important event and it shows that the natural habitat, in which it was found is still rich and should be conserved," said WWF official Songpol Tippayawong.

Villagers from Klong Tum were out fishing when they spotted the turtle--about 20 inches long and weighing 62 pounds--as it was on its way to nest, the WWF said. They sold it to another villager who then alerted local conservation authorities.

The turtle, which is designated as critically endangered by the World Conservation Union, has been turned over to a district fisheries office and it will raised in captivity, the WWF said. It will eventually be released back into the wild.

"Normally, turtles caught like this would have been eaten by the local people," Songpol said. "The turtle was initially sold but the villager who bought it had a conservation mind-set. This turtle was pretty lucky."

The turtles--which can be found in other parts of Asia along the Andaman Coast and the South China Sea--have seen their numbers reduced drastically in recent years, mostly due to poaching of their eggs, pollution and habitat loss.
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