Twenty Cambodia’s nearly-extinct Royal Turtles were released into their natural habitat in the Sre Ambel River in southwest Koh Kong province on Wednesday (March 22), a conservationist group said.
The Royal Turtle, also known as Southern River Terrapin (Batagur affinis), is one of the world’s 25 most endangered tortoises and freshwater turtles and is listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as Critically Endangered.
The turtles were released by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), in collaboration with the Fisheries Administration and Mandai Nature, according to a WCS statement.
