NGHỆ AN — Authorities in the central province of Nghệ An on December 3 released an endangered Indochinese box turtle (Cuora galbinifrons) back into its natural habitat in the Pù Huống Nature Reserve.

Hoàng Anh Tuấn, Deputy Director of the Pù Huống Nature Reserve Management Board, said that the 0.7kg reptile was reintroduced by staff of the reserve in coordination with the Qùy Hợp Forest Protection Unit and police in Qùy Hợp Commune.

The turtle had earlier been found by local resident on a village road in the commune. After checking its characteristics and identifying it as an endangered wildlife species, he voluntarily brought the animal to the commune police on November 2. Local authorities then coordinated with the Qùy Hợp Forest Protection Unit to process the handover and arrange for its safe return to the wild.

The Indochinese box turtle is listed in the Việt Nam Red Data Book and classified as critically endangered in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. All hunting, trading, captive keeping, and transport for commercial purposes are strictly prohibited.

The Pù Huống Nature Reserve, one of the over 160 special-use forests nationwide, covers more than 46,400ha and forms part of the three core zones of the Western Nghệ An Biosphere Reserve, which was named a world biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 2007. Pù Huống is currently home to more than 1,800 species, including 130 on the brink of extinction, according to Tuấn. — VNA/VNS