Turtle Thought Extinct Found in 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.

Source: AP - 12 January 2007

In this photo released by the World Wide Fund for Nature-Thailand, a river terrapin turtle, about 50 centimeters (20 inches) and weighing 28 kilograms (61.6 pounds), is shown at a fisheries research station in Phang Nga, Thailand, Monday, Jan. 8, 2007.

Thai villagers have caught the rare female turtle, that was thought to be extinct in the country, in a mangrove canal in Phang Nga province on the country's Andaman coast on Jan. 3, 2007, the WWF said.

(AP Photo/World Wide Fund for Nature-Thailand, Songpol Tippayawong, HO)

Locals have decided not to eat the turtle ....

prefferring shark fin soup with dolphin sorbet instead.

Thailand: endangered terrapin turtle gets lucky

Usually a 62-pound turtle caught in a Thailand river ends up on the dinner table as the main dish. Wednesday a turtle thought to be extinct in that nation got lucky

The female terrapin 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.

Klong Tum villagers were fishing when they spotted the 20-inch-long turtle as it was on its way to nest, the WWF said. They sold it to another conservation-minded villager who then alerted local authorities.

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

Terrapin turtles can be found in other parts of Asia along the Andaman Coast and the South China Sea. Their numbers have declined drastically in recent years because of poaching of their eggs, pollution and habitat loss.

Source: Xinhua - 12 January 2007

Thailand: endangered terrapin turtle gets lucky

Usually a 62-pound turtle caught in a Thailand river ends up on the dinner table as the main dish. Wednesday a turtle thought to be extinct in that nation got lucky

The female terrapin 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.

Klong Tum villagers were fishing when they spotted the 20-inch-long turtle as it was on its way to nest, the WWF said. They sold it to another conservation-minded villager who then alerted local authorities.

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

Terrapin turtles can be found in other parts of Asia along the Andaman Coast and the South China Sea. Their numbers have declined drastically in recent years because of poaching of their eggs, pollution and habitat loss.

Source: Xinhua - 12 January 2007

Why is it that, despite increased conservation education in Thailand, locals still view rare creatures as dinner table fare or a commodity to sell to "conservation-minded" villagers. Why cannot Thai people see the value of conserving natural heritage for "nature's sake" - for the sake of their childrens future on the planet?

A giant sea turtle recently laid eggs at Karon Beach on Phuket - an extremely rare occurrence - and the locals stole all the eggs to sell (at 60 baht ea) as a "delicacy". Authorities pleaded for the return of the eggs for conservation sake and fortunately most were returned. Due to to human handling it is not known how many eggs will eventually hatch.

wasnt there was a movie made a few years ago about this story , "turtle recall" with arnold schwarzenegger.

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.

I wonder what the soup tasted like?????????

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.

I wonder what the soup tasted like?????????

Why, chicken of course!

It won't be long before the dubious topic of impotence cures rears its ugly head.

My first thought to post was:

"Turtle Thought Extinct Found in Thailand. Tasted like chicken, the locals report."

But alas, it was already posted...=)