'Extinct' soft turtle reappears in Khmer Rouge stronghold

By Kathy Marks, Asia-Pacific Correspondent

Published: 17 May 2007

A colony of rare softshell turtles has been discovered in Cambodia during a survey of a former Khmer Rouge stronghold, raising hopes that the species can be saved from extinction.

The Cantor's giant softshell turtle, which grows up to 6ft (2m) in length and has jaws that can crush bone, was once found across south-east Asia. But poaching and loss of habitat have reduced its numbers, and it is now classified as an endangered species.

The last sighting in the wild in Cambodia was in 2003, but conservationists surveying a stretch of the Mekong river found a 24.2lb (11kg) female, which they captured and then freed. They also found eggs, which have since hatched. The hatchlings were released into the wild last week.

The team from Conservation International (CI) and the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), together with local environmentalists, was studying an area that was one of the last bastions of Khmer Rouge guerrillas. It was closed to scientific exploration for years, and this was the first detailed study of the area, in Stung Treng province, about 100 miles north of Phnom Penh, since security concerns eased in the late 1990s.

The scientists found the turtles' nesting-ground in a riverbank. The team leader, Mark Bezuijen of WWF, said it was found in a "near pristine region of tall riverine forest, waterways and island archipelagos".

David Emmett, a biologist with CI, said: "This incredible discovery means that a unique turtle can be saved from disappearing from our planet. We thought it might be almost gone, but found it in abundance in this one pristine stretch of the Mekong."

Mr Emmett said this was now the world's most important site for saving the species, which - unlike most turtles - has a rubbery skin instead of a shell.

The turtle spends most of its life hiding from predators in sand or mud, with only its eyes and nose protruding. It has long claws and can extend its neck with lightning speed to bite. "It has the fastest strike of any animal I've ever seen, including cobras," Mr Emmett said. It can weigh more than 100lb (45kg), making it one of the world's largest freshwater turtles.

Conservationists will employ villagers to protect nesting beaches and conduct patrols during the dry season to prevent illegal fishing. The species is prized as a delicacy in neighbouring Vietnam.