Critically endangered tortoises at HCMC pagoda to return to nature

Elongated tortoises at the Phuoc Hai Pagoda in HCMC's District 1. Photo by VnExpress/Dinh Van

Eleven endangered elongated tortoises, along with other rare turtle species kept at a pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1, will be released back into the wild.

Employees of the HCMC forest protection department, along with practitioners at Phuoc Hai Pagoda, on Wednesday brought the turtles residing in a pond at the pagoda back on land. Each of them would be weighed and classified before being brought to the Cu Chi animal rescue center, before finally being released into the woods.

The 62 turtles and tortoises belong to eight species, all rare and endangered, rangers said. The 11 elongated tortoises are classified as critically endangered according to the IUCN Red List.

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