Thua Thien-Hue border guards release rare turtle to sea

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The rare turtle trapped in Phan Thanh Giang's fishing net.

The turtle was trapped in a fishing net of Phan Thanh Giang, a fisherman in Canh Duong village, Loc Vinh commune, Phu Loc district, Thua Thien- Hue province on March 31 night. Giang found out that the turtle was in a poor health condition so he tried to save the turtle and reported the case to the local authorities.

After being informed of the situation, officers of the Chan May Port’s Border Guard Station under the Thua Thien-Hue Provincial Border Guard Command and representatives of the Vinh Loc Commune People’s Committee quickly reached the scene and joined Giang’s effort to save the turtle.

The sea turtle was then identified as an individual from the family of Olive ridley sea turtle, with the scientific name of Chelonia mydas. The turtle is 100 centimeters long and weighs 14 kilograms. The turtle's shell has an oval shape, which is veined and in a good condition.

The animal is one of the most precious sea turtles in the Red Book of Vietnam at the EN level. On April 1, the turtle was released into the sea after it had been taken care of.

Earlier, on March 30 and March 26, fishermen in Thua Thien-Hue also found rare sea turtles trapped in their net. They then all decided to release the turtles to the marine environment with the support from local authorities.