Ninh Binh and Thanh Hoa Province Forest Protection Department rangers have demonstrated their commitment to helping protect the future of Vietnam’s turtle species. Traders and smugglers using road routes north to Hanoi and the Chinese border must pass through both northern provinces on Highway 1, running the risk that alert rangers stationed along the highway will discover their precious illegal cargo.

Heosemys grandis confiscated from traders in November

     Between June and December, Ninh Binh and Thanh Hoa rangers seized 13 shipments that included nearly two tones of turtles representing 19 of 23 native species. Trade seizures have also included many more tons of snakes, as well as other wildlife like porcupines, pangolins, monitor lizards, and civets. Most of the turtles that were in shipments without legal permits were confiscated by rangers and turned over to the Turtle Conservation and Ecology Project (TCEP).
     Turtles received at the TCEP undergo rehabilitation after surviving harsh conditions associated with being stacked and packed in crates and bags on their way to China. Many of the turtles that recover fully will be returned to their home regions and released in suitable habitat. Others remain under the care of the center where they may be studied or used for education and training programs.
     The TCEP has been working with Ninh Binh Provincial rangers and the National Forest Protection Department since the project’s origin in 1998. In 2000, cooperation was expanded to include additional key provinces, protected areas, and enforcement units, including Thanh Hoa, Hanoi, and Nghe An rangers. The TCEP carries out training programs for rangers on the ecology and threats to Vietnam’s turtles, as part of efforts to generate greater interest, understanding, and immediate action in support of conserving Vietnam’s rapidly disappearing turtles. TCEP thanks the rangers of Ninh Binh and Thanh Hoa for their efforts on behalf of turtles in Vietnam.

     In August, Hanoi Forest Protection Branch rangers raced to Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport in response to reports that a large shipment of tortoises was being transported there from Ho Chi Minh City on a Vietnam Airlines flight. The rangers subsequently confiscated a 385-kg shipment of Indotestudo elongata and 205 kg of other turtles, in addition to an incredible 2,932 kg of mixed snake species.
     The man who intended to receive the shipment was apprehended and reported that the shipment was to be loaded on trucks and shipped to the Mong Cai border crossing with China (northeast). The Indotestudo elongata were turned over to Soc Son Rescue Center where they were held in quarantine and released at Cat Tien National Park in late November (see first article: “A Second Chance for Turtles”).