Group moves to save endangered turtle
HANOI - There once was a magic golden turtle that lived in
Hanoi's most enchanted lake. In real life, the last giant soft-shell turtle
living in Hoan Kiem Lake probably will die alone, and at least one biologist
says the species will then be extinct.
The giant turtle was believed so powerful, it snatched a divine sword from
a warrior king and returned it to the gods of the depths nearly six
centuries ago. That tale has long been a favorite among young and old
Vietnamese living in the capital city, but folklorists soon may have to
rewrite the story to include a very sad ending.
The elusive creature - with a shell as big as a desk - occasionally pokes
its wrinkled head out of the murky waters of the downtown lake to take a
breath, but few Vietnamese are lucky enough to glimpse it. And certainly
no one knows its age.
Scientists say it probably is the most endangered freshwater turtle
species in the world.
"This species is a huge, huge animal that's incredibly endangered and it
really needs help," said Anders Rhodin, co-chair of the World
Conservation Union's Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. "I
don't think anyone is willing to try to capture that animal in Hoan Kiem
Lake. I think it is thought to be sacred."
Conservationists are determined, however, not to let the legendary turtle
species die out. In November, researchers from Hanoi National University
and the U.S.-based Wildlife Conservation Society plan to scout lakes in
Thanh Hoa province, 100 miles south of Hanoi where other giant turtles
have been sighted, but never confirmed.
"We're going to the province to see whether there's any truth to this,"
said Douglas Hendrie, the society's Asia regional turtle conservation
coordinator who has worked in Vietnam since 1996. "The species is very,
very, very important to Vietnam culturally and therefore of high priority
when it comes to conservation."
Legend has it that in the mid-15th century, King Le Loi defeated Chinese
invaders with a magic sword given to him by the gods. After the victory,
the king was said to be boating on the lake when a giant golden turtle
rose to the surface and grabbed the sword in its mouth before plunging
deep into the water to return it to its divine owners.
The lake was later renamed "Ho Hoan Kiem," which means "Lake of the
Returned Sword," and the tale became an important part of Vietnamese
culture that continues to be taught in school and performed at popular
water puppetry shows.
But just like the Loch Ness Monster or the Tasmanian Tiger, no mythical
creature comes without controversy. Vietnamese biologist Ha Dinh Duc,
who has studied the lone turtle since 1991, reported in 2000 that it was a
new species and named it Rafeteus leloii after the king.
Other scientists dispute his conclusion, saying at least five other turtles of
the same species, Rafeteus swinhoei, have been found in zoos and a
monastery in neighboring China.
But Duc, who vows to study the turtle for the rest of his life, said no one
has spent more time researching and viewing it than he has.
"There's no other types of turtle like this in other countries," Duc said.
"Their assessment is totally wrong."
As he slid his wire glasses up his nose and rifled furiously through years
of yellowed papers and stacks of color photos, he spoke about the turtle
like a child.
It weighs about 440 pounds and its massive shell stretches 6 feet long
and 4 feet wide. Its gender remains a secret along with its age because
only Duc has been lucky enough to view it completely out of the water a
few times as it rested on an island in the middle of the small, shallow
lake.
Hendrie said the turtle could likely live up to 100 years, but Duc believes
it's conceivable for the animal to be old enough for Le Loi himself to have
released it into the lake, which was once part of the Red River.
The World Conservation Union ranks the turtle as critically endangered,
the most threatened category, saying the animal is "perilously close to
extinction" and "currently probably the most endangered freshwater turtle
in the world."
Its precarious circumstances mirror those of many turtle species,
especially in Asia. The organization says 74 percent of the continent's 90
freshwater turtle and tortoise species are listed as threatened due to
continuing demand for food and traditional medicine.
Hendrie and Rhodin, the other expert, said they're optimistic about finding
other giant soft-shell turtles in the wild or placing the ones in China
together in captivity to try to save the species from extinction. Turtles
remain fertile until death, so it's possible for even very old animals to
mate, but they said more research is necessary before any steps can be
taken.
However, the prospects for the Hoan Kiem turtle, as it is known, look
bleak. Duc said three others like it emerged from the lake in the 1960s,
but all of them have died and all of the scientists agree only one remains.
One huge stuffed specimen is displayed in a small temple on an island in
the lake, but not even Duc is bold enough to disturb the revered creature
that will undoubtedly have its own legend centuries from now.
"No one is allowed to touch this turtle," Duc said, sitting by the water. "If
something went wrong, who would be responsible? It would be a big deal
that would impact the soul of a nation."
By Margie Mason - The Associated Press - November 04, 2003.
|