Source : INQ7.net, Philippines, 16 Dec '05
By : Associated Press
  

Known locally as the "Royal Turtle" in Cambodia because its eggs were once fed to kings, the turtle was released into a river in southwestern Cambodia during a ceremony attended by local and foreign wildlife conservationists, said Heng Sovannara, director of turtle conservation project at Cambodia's Agriculture Ministry.

The turtle appeared healthy and gained one kilogram (2.2 pounds) following six months of treatment for a variety of ailments, officials said.

"He was in excellent shape and strong. He swam quickly away once we put it in the river," Heng Sovannara said. "He did not even raise his head to look back. No bye, bye."

The turtle was recovered six months ago along with 30 other common species during a raid on the smuggler's house in southern Vietnam's Tay Ninh province. Noticing the Royal Turtle was bigger than the rest, wildlife officials consulted an endangered species book and realized that it was a Batagur baska or Asian river terrapin.

The Batagur baska was though to have disappeared in Cambodia until it was rediscovered in 2001. Conservationists eventually began tagging the animals with tracking devices and monitoring their nests, and King Norodom Sihamoni personally ordered their protection.

When officials inspected the turtle in Ho Chi Minh City, they found a tiny microchip implanted under its wrinkly skin, pinpointing its exact home on the Sre Ambel River in southern Cambodia.

Vietnamese and Cambodians officials worked together to repatriate the turtle.

Conservationist have said there are only about two to eight females remaining there, making the return of this adult male turtle even more vital. It had been tagged in Cambodia for research two years ago but not seen again until its discovery in Vietnam.

Many Asian turtles are in danger because of the thriving trade in animals in the region, where a species' rarity can add to its value in soups in China or as a traditional medicine.