Endangered turtle dies in Dong Mo
VOV.VN - An endangered Hoan Kiem Turtle has passed away in Dong Mo lake, according to Phung Huy Vinh, head of the economic department of Son Tay Town, who confirmed the news on April 24.
A member of the Indo-Myanmar Conservation (IMC) which oversees a project for the conservation of the Hoan Kiem Turtle found the dead Swinhoe's softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) at the lake.
The turtle had been chipped and released into the lake back in 2020 and was 1.56 metres in length and weighed 93 kg.
Vinh noted that experts are conducting research on its body to determine its age and cause of death.
The creature was first described back in 1873, although there has been very little research done on this giant soft-shell turtle. There are thought to only be four left in the world, with two in China, one in Dong Mo lake, and the other residing in Xuan Khanh lake.
The last known Rafetus swinhoei living in Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem lake passed away in 2016.