Some 50 Royal Turtles Released into Natural Habitat
AKP Phnom Penh, November 26, 2021 --

The European Union (EU), the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and the Fisheries Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, today released 51 critically endangered Royal Turtles into the Sre Ambel River system in Chamkar Luong commune, Kampong Seila district of Preah Sihanouk province.

All the 51 Royal Turtles, globally known as Southern River Terrapin (Batagur affinis), were collected immediately after emerging from their nests along the Sre Ambel River and Kampong Leu River in Koh Kong and Preah Sihanouk provinces from 2006 to 2015 and sent to Koh Kong Reptile Conservation Center in Tuol Korki village, Tuol Korki commune of Mondul Seima district, where they have been cared for and prepared for a life in the wild, according to Som Sitha, WCS Landscape Project Manager.


The turtles, 31 females and 20 males, range in age from 6 to 15 years-old. Each turtle was implanted with a microchip, and an acoustic transmitter was attached to their shell. These measures will allow the conservation team to monitor each individual and track their movements through the river system.

“We highly appreciate the participation of local authorities, community and WCS team who have been working together to conserve critically endangered turtles so that they can persist in the natural water bodies,” said H.E. Poum Sotha, Delegate of the Royal Government of Cambodia, Director General of Fisheries Conservation. “All stakeholders should continue their efforts to conserve the threatened species, and those who still trade protected species will face legal action.”

The EU is funding this wildlife conservation project, in which WCS and the FiA partner with local communities to counter illegal wildlife trafficking and to protect endangered species. In addition to supporting this work, the European Union is also a key development partner to sustainable fisheries management in Cambodia.
https://www.akp.gov.kh/post/detail/243326

More photos of the Royal Turtle release from Facebook:

Thirty Royal Turtle Babies Hatch in Captivity in Cambodia
AKP Phnom Penh, May 21, 2022 --

Thirty (30) Royal Turtle babies hatched in an artificial sand bank at the Koh Kong Reptile Conservation Centre (KKRCC) last week, according to a press release issued on May 20 by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Cambodia.

This is the second time that Royal Turtles have laid eggs in captivity in Cambodia.

During the 2022 nesting season Royal Turtles in a captive-breeding group at KKRCC laid 81 eggs in nine clutches and 30 of them hatched. This compares favourably with 2021, when only one of 71 eggs in five clutches successfully hatched.

At the same time, two captive females at the Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity (ACCB), partner of WCS’s second breeding colony, laid 16 eggs in two clutches.

Unfortunately, only one of in total three fertile eggs successfully hatched and the hatchling has been transferred to KKRCC for head-starting, making a total of 31.

“While breeding in nature is decreasing, we are encouraged by the success of our captive breeding programme to ensure the long-term survival of the Royal Turtle.” said Mr. Som Sitha, WCS Landscape Project Manager. “This year’s nesting season none of the nests was found on the beach along the Sre Ambel River System within the Fisheries Management Area in Koh Kong and Preah Sihanouk provinces.”

Dr. Steven G. Platt, Associate Conservation Herpetologist for WCS in Southeast Asia said, “This is one of the most exciting and significant developments in Royal Turtle conservation in Cambodia. With this successful hatching of so many baby turtles, the long-term survival prospects for the Royal Turtle suddenly got much better.”
https://www.akp.gov.kh/post/detail/254551

Koh Kong officials and Wildlife Conservation Society teaming up to protect royal turtles, Siamese crocodiles
Orm Bunthoeurn | Publication date 23 July 2022 | 14:15 ICT

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Royal Turtle and Siamese Crocodile Management and Conservation Project team met on July 22 with the technical working group from the Koh Kong Provincial Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to finalize the draft agreement on a joint project.

The agreement also aims to build the capacity of relevant officials and local community members to support the restoration of fishery resources and contribute to improving the community’s livelihoods and food security.

The agreement is effective from July 2022 through August 2023 and can be renewed once per year thereafter. It is funded by the European Union Partners Against Wildlife Crime project, Mandai Nature, US Forest Service, Rainforest Trust, Turtle Survival Alliance, USFW and USAID-Feed the Future.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... es-siamese

Rare Royal Turtle with severely fractured shell rescued in SW Cambodia
Source: Xinhua
2022-11-29 18:04:15

A female Royal Turtle with a severely fractured shell receives medical treatment at the Angkor Center for Conservation of Biodiversity (ACCB) in Siem Reap province, Cambodia, on Nov. 26, 2022. A fisherman living along the Sre Ambel River in southwest Cambodia's Koh Kong province has recently spotted a nearly extinct Royal Turtle with a severely fractured shell, a conservationist group said on Tuesday. (Maria Blumm/ACCB/Handout via Xinhua)

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- A fisherman living along the Sre Ambel River in southwest Cambodia's Koh Kong province has recently spotted a nearly extinct Royal Turtle with a severely fractured shell, a conservationist group said on Tuesday.

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) said in a news release that the female Royal Turtle's severely fractured shell was likely caused by the propeller of a speed boat or sand mining ship.

"The fisherman rescued the turtle and handed it over to the local WCS conservation team," the news release said. "The animal was identified as an individual released into the Sre Ambel River system late November 2021, as part of the Royal Turtle conservation project implemented by WCS in partnership with the Fisheries Administration (FiA)."

Due to the severity of its injuries the WCS team, in collaboration with the FiA, and after consultation with the Angkor Center for Conservation of Biodiversity (ACCB), decided that it would be best to transfer the turtle to the ACCB in Siem Reap province for thorough examination and treatment.

"Although the injury is severe, it seems to be old and a lot of healed tissue appears on the fracture area," the news release said.

It said the 14.9 kg turtle is receiving treatment for its injuries at ACCB and although it will take a long time for natural healing, X-rays don't show reason for additional concern.

"It's incredible what a turtle can sustain and survive!" the news release said.

The Royal Turtle, also known as Southern River Terrapin, is classified as globally critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of threatened species and protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The species was designated as the national reptile of Cambodia by a royal decree issued in 2005, and under Cambodia's law on fisheries, catching, selling, transporting and trading the animal are prohibited.

The reptile was believed to be extinct in the Southeast Asian country until 2000 when a small population was rediscovered by the FiA and WCS in the Sre Ambel River. ■
http://chinaview.cn/20221129/167b9cbe7f ... 421/c.html

Fifty-Four Royal Turtle Eggs from Four Clutches Found in Koh Kong
AKP Phnom Penh, January 20, 2023 --

The WCS Turtle Conservation Team has recently collected 54 Royal Turtle eggs from four clutches deposited on an artificial sand bank beside a breeding pond at the Koh Kong Reptile Conservation Centre (KKRCC), according to WCS Cambodia’s press release dated Jan. 19.

The eggs were laid on the nights of Jan. 16 and 18, according to images obtained from a camera trap installed on the sand bank. This is the third consecutive year that Royal Turtles have laid eggs in captivity in Cambodia.


The team expects to collect more eggs of captive turtles at the Centre during the 2023 nesting season which began in January and will continue through March. Last year, the team found 81 eggs from nine clutches on the same sand bank. Captive breeding is one of several conservation strategies used by WCS Cambodia and Fisheries Administration to restore the population of the Royal Turtle in Cambodia, the same source added.

KKRCC currently holds 184 Royal Turtles, and 147 young adult Royal Turtles have been released back into the wild since 2015. Sub-adult and adult turtles at the KKRCC are kept in four breeding ponds, whilst younger animals are raised in large plastic tanks before transferal to the breeding ponds.

The Royal Turtle, scientifically known as Southern River Terrapin (Batagur affinis), is one of the world’s 25 most endangered freshwater turtles and tortoises. It is listed on the IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered, and has been designated as Cambodia’s National Reptile by a Royal Decree issued in 2005.
(Photos: WCS Cambodia)
By Phal Sophanith AKP

15 rare and prized Royal Turtles in Cambodia delivered to research institute for study, breeding
Cambodia
Sunday, 19 Feb 2023
4:34 PM MYT

PHNOM PENH, Feb 19 (Xinhua): The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Cambodia and the Fisheries Administration have handed over 15 nearly-extinct Royal Turtles to a research institute for biological study and breeding, a conservationist said on Saturday.

Som Sitha, WCS Cambodia project manager, said two sub-adult male and female and 13 juveniles were delivered to the National Aquaculture Research and Development Institute Samdech Techo HE on Thursday.

The institute, located in the Roka commune of Kandal province, covers an area of approximately 30 hectares.

"The purpose is to have them at the institute for students to study their biology, as well as for breeding," he told Xinhua. "Transferring some of these critically endangered turtles for breeding in different places will allow to better protect and conserve the species from extinction."

Sitha said this is the third assurance colony of its kind, after the WCS's Koh Kong Reptile Conservation Center in Koh Kong province and Angkor Center for Conservation of Biodiversity in Siem Reap province.

The WCS will provide technical support as needed to ensure the reptiles stay healthy, he added.
https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/as ... y-breeding

20 Royal Turtles Released into Sre Ambel River System in Koh Kong Province
AKP Phnom Penh, March 22, 2023 --
Twenty (20) critically endangered Royal Turtles have been released into the Sre Ambel River System in Koh Kong province's Sre Ambel district.
WCS
The release, taking place on Mar. 22, was made by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), in collaboration with Mandai Nature and the Fisheries Administration (FiA) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF).

According to the WCS’ press release, as they are globally known, the Southern River Terrapins (Batagur affinis) were gathered from their nests along the Sre Ambel and Kampong Leu Rivers in Koh Kong and Preah Sihanouk provinces between 2006 and 2015. They were then sent to the Koh Kong Reptile Conservation Centre, where they were cared for and prepared for life in the wild, according to WCS Landscape Project Manager Som Sitha.

The 20 turtles, consisting of 10 females and 10 males, are between 5 and 16 years old. Each turtle was implanted with a microchip, and an acoustic transmitter was attached to its marginal scute, allowing the conservation team to monitor and track their movements through the river system.

“The collaboration between local authorities, communities, and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in their efforts to conserve our critically endangered turtles in natural water bodies,” said Mr. Ouk Vibol, Director of the FiA’s Fisheries Conservation Department.

He added that the Sre Ambel River System and its surrounding riparian forest are protected under Prakas No. 133, issued by the MAFF in 2019, which makes cutting, clearing, and grabbing of this habitat illegal.

Mr. Vibol also called on local residents to avoid capturing and trading this important species.
https://www.akp.gov.kh/post/detail/274537

122 Captive-Bred Royal Turtles Hatched In Cambodia
This is great news considering 20 critically endangered royal turtles were released March 22
John Virata May 16, 2023 2:27 pm
free image upload
The species, also known as the royal turtle in Cambodia, has successfully laid eggs in captivity at the center for three years.

The Koh Kong Reptile Conservation Center (KKRCC) announced that 122 Southern River terrapins (Batagur affinis) hatched on an artificial sand bank at Cambodia’s Koh Kong Reptile Conservation Center (KKRCC) so far in 2023. The center is located in the country’s Koh Kong province.

The species, also known as the royal turtle in Cambodia, has successfully laid eggs in captivity at the center for three years, according to a Xinhua report detailing the hatching event. This year, the captive breeding group at the KKRCC laid 21 clutches totalling 272 eggs. Of the 272 eggs, 122 hatched.
https://reptilesmagazine.com/122-captiv ... -cambodia/

More information on Cambodia's successful Royal Turtle breeding season in 2023:

AKP Phnom Penh, May 22, 2023

The Royal Turtle, scientifically known as the Southern River Terrapin (Batagur affinis), is listed on the IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered and is among the world's 25 most endangered freshwater turtles and tortoises. In 2005, it was designated as Cambodia's National Reptile by a Royal Decree, further highlighting the importance of its conservation.

According to press release, the primary threats to the Royal Turtle include targeted hunting, incidental capture in fishing gear for local consumption and international trade, and destruction of its nesting habitat through sand extraction, deforestation, and land grabbing.

To combat these threats, WCS Cambodia, in long-term partnership with the Fisheries Administration (FiA) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and supported by Mandai Nature and Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity (ACCB), implements various conservation interventions. These efforts aim to restore the wild populations of Royal Turtles through both in-situ and ex-situ conservation methods and monitored releases. Additionally, WCS develops opportunities for local communities to participate in the conservation of the river system.

“We are very proud to learn that many hatchlings hatched from the centre this year. This is a new hope for restoring the species in Cambodia. We strongly encourage and support the continuation of this captive breeding programme to restore this species in the future, and we hope this species will survive for our next generation. For the field programme, I strongly hope that local people and authorities work closely together to protect the critical habitat for this species," said Mr. Ouk Vibol, Director of the Fisheries Conservation Department.

KKRCC currently holds 281 Royal Turtles, including 50 adults for breeding and 231 sub-adults, juveniles, and hatchlings. Since 2015, WCS Cambodia has reintroduced 166 young adult Royal Turtles into the wild in Sre Ambel, contributing further to the conservation of this critical species.
https://www.akp.gov.kh/post/detail/279181