Great news. These turtles are nearly extinct.

Endangered turtle’s eggs found
20 December 2017

- Nineteen eggs of the globally endangered Asian giant softshell turtle have been discovered after conservationists found a nest on a sandbar along the Mekong River between Kratie and Stung Treng provinces.

According to a Wildlife Conservation Society press release issued yesterday, conservationists from WCS and the Fisheries Administration found the nest in the last remaining area of the country where the turtles still breed.

“The nest is now being protected by local communities until all the eggs are hatched and then the hatchlings will be released into the river,” the statement said, adding that former nest collectors were hired to protect the nest.

The species, thought to be extinct in Cambodia until 2007, is listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List as Globally Endangered.

WCS communications manager Eng Mengey said the eggs would be immediately released into the wild after hatching.

“Those eggs will take about two months to hatch,” he said. “We plan to build a new centre in Kratie for conservation of the species.”

Since 2007, 8,528 hatchlings have been released into the wild through the conservation programme. In June, 150 hatchlings were released in Kratie province.

Som Sitha, a WCS technical advisor, said the breeding period of the species is from December until June, with this being the first nest found so far this year.

“We will work hard with FiA and local communities to find more nests along the Mekong River and protect them from egg collection,” he said.
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/5096987/end ... ggs-found/

Nest of endangered giant softshell turtle found in Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Conservationists have found a nest of the endangered Asian giant softshell turtle on a Mekong River sandbar in northeastern Cambodia, while 115 new species of various other animal and plant life have been discovered in the greater Mekong region.

The New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society said Tuesday that a nest of Asian giant softshell turtles was found on the Mekong between Kratie and Stung Treng provinces by conservationists from Cambodia's fisheries administration, the WCS and local communities. It said it was the first spotting of such a nest so far this season.

It said the area is the only remaining location in Cambodia where the huge turtles still breed.

The Asian giant softshell turtle has been listed as globally endangered. It was thought to be extinct in the Cambodian portion of the Mekong River until conservationists rediscovered the turtles in 2007 along a 48-kilometer (30-mile) stretch of the river between Kratie and Stung Treng provinces.

The WCS said that since 2007, some 378 nests have been protected and 8,528 hatchlings released.

Meanwhile, the WWF issued a statement Tuesday saying that some 115 new species in the Greater Mekong region had been discovered by scientists.

It said that scientists from around the world conducted research in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, and discovered 11 species of amphibians, two fish, 11 reptiles, 88 plants and three mammals.
http://www.timesunion.com/news/science/ ... 440587.php

Rare turtle hatchlings come home to Kratie
Niem Chheng | Publication date 21 September 2018 | 10:25 ICT
More than 560 endangered Asian giant softshell turtle hatchlings were released on Thursday into their natural habitat along the Mekong River in Kratie province, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) said.

The release aims to bolster the wild population of the turtles, which were thought to be extinct in Cambodia’s stretch of the Mekong River until they were rediscovered in 2007 between Kratie and Stung Treng provinces.

Ngourn Chanti, the WCS’s project coordinator, said the hatchlings were collected from nests that had been protected by local communities.

Many of the project’s participants are former turtle hunters who were recruited to protect the nests instead of harvesting the eggs.

Fisheries Conservation director Ouk Vibol said harvesting eggs and turtles is illegal in Cambodia. But the WCS said there is demand in the local market and in Vietnam for turtles.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... ome-kratie

Happy news for a change from Kratie's Koh Trong island on the Mekong.

Rare giant soft-shell turtle released into the wild
A Cambodian community is attempting to save the endangered Cantor's soft-shell turtle. Watch as they release one that was originally destined for dinner plates.
By Stefan Lovgren
PUBLISHED April 23, 2019
KAOH TRONG, CAMBODIA It was late last year when the owner of a popular restaurant in Kratie, a town in northern Cambodia, got a visit from local fishermen who had caught a live turtle in the Mekong River and were hoping to make a sale. The owner sometimes bought turtles, serving them to customers by special request. But the turtle the fishermen had brought this time was different. For starters, it was huge, weighing 37 pounds. Its broad head and eyes close to the tip of the snout resembled that of a frog. The owner, suspecting it was one of the endangered species he’d been told about, thought for a moment, then agreed to buy the turtle, for $75—not to cook it, but to save its life.

And so it was that the giant turtle ended up at the Mekong Turtle Conservation Center in Sambor, about 20 miles north. When the restaurant owner’s son delivered it, Bran Sinal, who manages the center, immediately recognized it as a Cantor’s giant soft-shell turtle, an extremely rare species in Cambodia that can grow to the size of a small sofa and live for more than a century. Sinal could also tell that the turtle was a female of breeding age. To lose it would have been a tragedy.

Cambodian fishermen sold this Cantor’s soft-shell turtle to a restaurant, but the owner—recognizing it was a rare species—turned it over to the Mekong Turtle Conservation Center. Several months later, center released the turtle back into the wild.

For the next three months, Sinal cared for the turtle at the center. Then, on a recent Friday morning, he and a large group of people, including local officials, villagers, and students, gathered on a pristine beach on the island of Kaoh Trong, in the middle of the Mekong, near where the turtle had been captured, to return it to the river. After two Buddhist monks recited a prayer, the turtle was placed on the ground. It instinctively began digging into the sand to hide. Leaving it there wouldn’t have been a good idea, so the turtle was again picked up and this time released into the water. As it swam away, the students applauded.

“This is a special occasion,” said Sinai afterwards. “It is the first time we have released a broodstock [of this species] back into the wild, so it’s a very good sign.”
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/anim ... -cambodia/
Nice video of the turtle release on the NG link, but I couldn't embed it, so click on the link if you want to see it.

49 Nests of Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle Discovered in 2020
AKP Phnom Penh, May 23, 2020 --
In the 2020 nesting season, the community nest protection team found 49 nests of Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle with 1,756 eggs, pointed out Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in a statement issued on May 23 on World Turtle Day 2020.

Although this was only two nests more than in the 2019 nesting season, the number of eggs was much higher than in recent years, underlined the same source.

As of May 22, it continued, 824 baby turtles hatched from 41 nests, of which 657 hatchlings were released into the wild, while the rest were under care for future release. The conservation team await the fate of the remaining eggs, and expect that at least some will hatch.

“With continuous support from our donors and good cooperation from the Fisheries Administration (FiA), plus strong commitments of our field staff and community nest protection team, WCS has made significant progress in implementing its project over the past years,” said Mr. Ken Sereyrotha, Country Program Director for WCS Cambodia.

“The increase in number of nests and eggs inspired us to put more efforts on the conservation of this critically endangered species,” he said.

Mr. Ouk Vibol, Director of the Department of Fisheries Conservation of Fisheries Administration said, “We highly appreciate the participation of local authorities, community and WCS in the conservation of critically endangered turtles so that they can persist in the natural water bodies. All stakeholders should continue their efforts to conserve the threatened species, and those who still trade protected species will face legal action.”
https://www.akp.gov.kh/post/detail/31991
(Photos: WCS Cambodia)

And now for some good news...
100 Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle Hatchlings Released into Mekong River in Kratie Province
AKP Phnom Penh, June 19, 2020 --

(Photo: WCS Cambodia)
WCS in collaboration with Fisheries Administration (FiA) has released 100 Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle Hatchlings into the Mekong river in Sambour district of Kratie province.

The release took place this morning under the presidency of H.E. W. Patrick Murphy, U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia and head of the delegation with Kratie provincial deputy governor, representatives from FiA, Kratie Fisheries Administration Cantonment, USAID, USAID Greening Prey Lang, community fisheries members, nest protectors, river guards and WCS in attendance.

According to a WCS’ press release, WCS’ conservation of Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle is funded by the European Union (EU), Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS), USFWS, Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropy and Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA).

In the 2020 nesting season, the community nest protection team found 49 nests of Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle with 1,756 eggs, pointed out WCS in a statement issued late last month, stressing that although this was only two nests more than in the 2019 nesting season, the number of eggs was much higher than in recent years.

Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle, Pelochelyscantorii is classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Only a few records of the species exist in Laos and other countries, and it has disappeared across much of its former range in Vietnam and Thailand owing to poaching and trade of adult turtles and illegal collection of their eggs for food. In Cambodia, it was not observed in the wild by scientists between 2003 and 2007, until it was found on the Mekong River in between Kratie and Stung Treng provinces. WCS and FiA have been working to conserve the species since 2017 through disrupting the illegal capture and trade in freshwater turtles, a community-based nest protection programme, and support to Community Fisheries and community development.
- AKP

32 Eggs of Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle Found
AKP Phnom Penh, December 30, 2020 --
Photos WCS
WCS Nest Protection Team in collaboration with Fisheries Administration have found the first nest of critically endangered Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle containing 32 eggs.

According to a WCS' news release issued this afternoon, the eggs were discovered on a beach of the Mekong River along Sambour district of Kratie province at the beginning of the breeding season which starts from November and runs through May every year.

The nest is now being protected by designated local community from poaching, said the same source, adding that the Team expected to discover more nests during this breeding season.

In the 2020 nesting season, the community nest protection team found 49 nests of Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle with 1,756 eggs. Although this was only two nests more than in the 2019 nesting season, the number of eggs was much higher than in recent years.

Cantor's Giant Softshell Turtle (Pelochelys cantorii) is listed on the IUCN Red List as globally Endangered. It was thought extinct in the Cambodian portion of the Mekong River until its re-discovery in 2007 in a 48-kilometre stretch of the river in Kratie and Stung Treng provinces.
- AKP

Good week for Kratie wildlife this week - one baby dolphin born healthy, and some 32 endangered turtle eggs discovered.

WCS Cambodia finds five nests of frog-headed turtle
Mom Kunthear | Publication date 31 December 2020 | 20:49 ICT

The Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS Cambodia) Nest Protection Team, in collaboration with the Fisheries Administration, have found five nests of the critically endangered Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle (also known as frog-headed turtle) during the 2020 breeding season on a beach along the Mekong River in Kratie province’s Sambor district.

WCS Cambodia’s Mekong Regional Coordinator Nhuon Chanty told The Post that the first nest they discovered had 32 eggs, but within a week the team had found four more nests.

“If we total the number of eggs in the five nests we found, there were more than 150 eggs. We will collect these frog-headed turtle eggs and put them in a safe place for them to hatch,” he said.

The frog-headed turtle breeding season runs from November to May. The nest protection programme for the species is funded by the EU under the “Wildlife Crime Partnership” Margaret A Cargill and US Agency for International Development (USAID) Greening Prey Lang (USAID-GPL).

Chanty said his team was happy to have found the nests and eggs so early in the season because most years the number of total nests they find between November and May is very few.

“At this time last year we had only found one frog-headed turtle nest, but this year we’ve already found five of them. We never expected to find so many like this. We hope we keep finding more nests until the middle of next year,” he said.

For the 2019-2020 breeding season, the WCS Cambodia’s Nest Protection Team found 49 frog-headed turtle nests with more than 1,700 eggs in total, but only 845 of the eggs hatched because of the hot weather.

Som Sitha, the Koh Kong and Mekong River Conservation Project Manager for WCS Cambodia, told The Post that his organisation will continue to cooperate with local communities by hiring people from the area to act as protectors of the turtles and to help educate other people in the community about the conservation of frog-headed turtles.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... ded-turtle

A 14.5kg Critically Endangered Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle Released into the Wild
AKP Phnom Penh, February 08, 2021 --

The WCS Turtle Conservation Team and Community Fishery have recently released a critically endangered Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle into the wild safely.

The turtle, 14.5kg in weight, was found caught on a fishing hook by a local fisherman which he deployed to catch fish along the Mekong River in Koh Khnher commune of Kratie province, according to the WCS.

As a direct result of turtle conservation awareness campaigns and release events conducted by WCS in collaboration with Fisheries Administration (FiA) over the past years, the fisherman recognised the turtle was a protected species and immediately informed the Community Fisheries, a community-based body to conserve fisheries resources as well as endangered turtles, it underlined.

The Community Fisheries then passed on the information to WCS field team and Kratie Fisheries Administration Cantonments for further actions, added the same source.
- AKP