TaKua Tung, Thailand – A local villager fishing in a mangrove in western Thailand got a surprise when he caught in his net a large turtle. The catch turned out to be a rare mangrove terrapin, a species that has not been observed in the wild in Thailand for over 20 years.
Realizing that this was an unusual find, the village contacted a local specialist from WWF Thailand’s Marine and Coastal Resources Unit, based in the coastal province of Phang Nga, some 800km from the capital, Bangkok.
“In Thailand, this species is considered to be critically endangered and is classified similarly in Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia,” said Dr Chavalit Vidthayanon, a freshwater biologist at WWF Thailand.
“In the past, villagers could catch up to one thousand of these terrapins a year for their eggs, meat and shells.”
Today, the mangrove terrapin population has been drastically reduced and is facing extinction in the wild, especially in Thailand. The main threats are hunting, egg harvesting, loss of habitat and nesting beaches, and the incidental drowning in fishing nets.
The female mangrove terrapin that was found weighed in at 28kg and measured over 50cm in length. It was suspected that she was on her way to nest.
She is probably very lucky that she wasn’t eaten or sold to a wildlife trader,” added Dr Vidthayanon. “We have recommended that the terrapin be brought to a fisheries department facility to be cared for and bred so that her offspring can be released back into the wild.”
WWF Thailand also plans to develop a project to protect the headwaters of the Klong Tum, where the terrapin was discovered, as well as continue efforts to research the rare species.
“The discovery of a species that was believed to be extinct in Thailand is considered to be a very important event,” said Songpol Tippayawong, Head of WWF Thailand’s Marine and Coastal Resources Unit.
“It shows that the natural habitat, in which it was found, is still rich and should be conserved.”

END NOTES:
• Mangrove terrapins (Batagur baska) are one of Asia’s largest freshwater turtles. They live in creeks and estuaries on the Andaman coast, from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, and Malaysia to as far as Sumatra in Indonesia, as well as in the South China Sea in the Gulf of Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Mangrove terrapins feed on the seed pods of mangrove and other coastal trees. Smaller terrapins also eat shrimp and crabs.
• Mangrove terrapins have small heads and an upturned snout. The feet are webbed with only four claws. The body and shell is brownish-black, the underside a bit lighter. They lay their eggs at the end of the year, from November to January, during which time the females will travel up the rivers to lay their eggs in undisturbed sandbanks or beaches. Females can lay 2-3 clutches of approximately 20 eggs. The eggs have an incubation period of about two months.
For more information:
Radda Larpnun, Communications Manager
WWF Thailand
Tel: +66 2 524 6168 ext. 113
Email: raddal@wwfgreatermekong.org

（引自www.panda.org    2007年1月10日）