Release of Rare Marine Tortoise Weighing Nearly 70kg Back into the Wild

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On the afternoon of August 10, the Vinh Hiền Border Guard Station (under the Thừa Thiên Huế Provincial Border Defense Command) announced that it had collaborated with local authorities and the Phú Lộc District Forest Ranger Department to release a rare marine tortoise of the Green Turtle species, weighing nearly 70kg, back into its natural habitat.
 

Earlier that morning, while fishing in the Tam Giang-Cầu Hai lagoon area, a fisherman from Giang Hải Commune, Phú Lộc District (Thừa Thiên Huế Province) caught a tortoise with unusual features. The fisherman reported the incident to local authorities for proper handling of the tortoise. Upon inspection, officials identified the tortoise as a Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas), listed in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Vietnam Red Data Book. The tortoise measured 100cm in length, 60cm in width, and weighed approximately 70kg.

Recently, fishermen in the Tam Giang-Cầu Hai lagoon also discovered another marine tortoise, weighing 10kg, trapped in fishing gear. The Border Defense Force, along with local authorities and fishermen, also released this tortoise back into its natural environment.