Turtles in Trouble: The World's 25+ Most Endangered - Wildlife ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Turtles in Trouble: Top 25+ Endangered Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles—2011Yunnan Box TurtleCuora yunnanensis (Boulenger 1906); Family GeoemydidaeAsia: China (Yunnan)IUCN Red List: CR, Critically Endangered B2ab(ii,iii,v), DCITES: Appendix II, as Cuora spp.Cuora yunnanensis was describedin 1906 by Boulenger fromthe southern Chinese Yunnan Province.After its initial description itall but vanished, only rarely beingseen. It is a small turtle with carapacelength of up to 19 cm, with adull brown carapace. Its head is predominantlybrown with distinctiveyellow lines, and a plastron that isyellow with some darker pigmentation.There is only one yellow (orangein juveniles) stripe on the middleupper part of the forelegs; thisstripe does not occur on any otherCuora and is therefore diagnostic.Despite intensive field research,the species was not seenbetween 1940 and the early 21stcentury and its presumed habitatdisappeared under the growing developmentaround the expanding urban area of Kunming,Yunnan. This lead to the assumption that the specieswas probably extinct, and it was subsequently officiallylisted as Extinct on the IUCN Red List in 2000. However,fortuitously in 2004, photos of a female specimenwere posted on an internet forum requesting assistancein identification. Only a few months later, an adult maleappeared in the local pet trade. Both animals were purchasedby a local turtle specialist and have subsequentlybeen bred since 2006 and have produced a dozen hatchlings.Genetic research has confirmed the validity of thespecies and the recently found specimens and that they donot represent animals of hybrid origin. In 2006 anotherfemale specimen was found in a local Chinese marketand between 2007 and 2009 a few further animals werealso discovered. The species is highly sought after in theCuora yunnanensis from Yunnan. Photo by Zhou Ting, William P. McCord, and Torsten Blanck.pet trade with a few specimens already appearing in thelarger Chinese cities. Prices of USD15–50,000 have beenoffered, making it the most expensive of all the Chinesebox turtles.After nearly a decade of intensive searching, it was notuntil 2008 that the habitat of the species was finally foundby a team from Kunming Institute of Zoology. An assurancecolony is now being maintained at the Institute andis supported by the Turtle Survival Alliance with properenclosures and guidance for keeping and breeding this species.In 2010, the first eggs from this effort were laid. Thehabitat is currently being studied and efforts to protect itare underway, although it is difficult in this area. While thespecies was able to hide and survive for nearly a century,its recent discovery is likely to further threaten its smalland isolated population.Distribution of Cuora yunnanensis.Cuora yunnanensis hatched in captivity. Photo by Zhou Ting.– 20 –
Turtles in Trouble: Top 25+ Endangered Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles—2011Northern River TerrapinBatagur baska (Gray 1830); Family GeoemydidaeAsia: Bangladesh, India (Orissa, West Bengal), Myanmar, Thailand (?) (extirpated?)IUCN Red List: CR, Critically Endangered A1cdCITES: Appendix IThe genus Batagur, comprising five CriticallyEndangered and one Endangered species,is the group of river turtles closest to the brinkof extinction. With males exhibiting striking seasonalbreeding colors, they are also some of themost attractive and unusual turtles in the world.All six species of the genus are highly aquatic andgrow to a large size. Because of the tasty fleshand delicious eggs, these riverine and estuarineturtle species have been heavily harvested andexploited throughout their range for a very longtime. Batagur baska, the Critically Endangeredtype species of the genus, was until recently consideredto be relatively wide-ranging in estuariesfrom India to Indonesia, but genetic analysisdetermined that what was previously consideredone species was in fact two separate and evenmore critically endangered species: the NorthernRiver Terrapin, B. baska, and the Southern RiverTerrapin, Batagur affinis. Both are Critically Endangered.Populations of the Northern River Terrapin,previously highly abundant in river deltas and estuaries ofOrissa and West Bengal in India and the Ayeryawady Deltain Myanmar during the 19th and early 20th centuries, havenow all but vanished. Only a few remnant individuals havebeen recorded from village ponds where local fishermenmaintain the turtles as a source of eggs, as there are nolonger any known nesting areas. In November 2010 a wildcaughtmale was seen slaughtered at a market in Dhaka,Bangladesh, providing evidence of a few remaining specimensin the wild.The turtles have declined due to the all too commonproblems of overharvesting of both adults and eggs for humanconsumption. Habitat loss and degradation such assand mining, dam construction, and pollution have alsocontributed to this species’ decline.Batagur baska male in breeding color from Bangladesh. Photo by Rupali Ghosh.With so few animals remaining it has become a raceagainst time to secure the last of the living animals in assurancecolonies before this species blinks into extinction.Currently the Turtle Survival Alliance and Zoo Schoenbrunnin Vienna are funding the construction of new captivebreeding facility in Bangladesh for animals that havebeen removed from the illegal wildlife trade, or have beenbought from their owners who had been keeping them astalismans in their fish breeding ponds. All efforts need tobe made to bring together the last of the remaining individualsof this species to round up breeding groups. For thelong-term survival of the species it is essential to initiate astudbook for pedigree breeding, including all known captivekept specimens in Bangladesh, India, and Austria tominimize inbreeding depression and genetic drift.Distribution of Batagur baska.Batagur baska female from India. Photo by Rick Hudson.– 21 –
Page 2 and 3: Turtles in Trouble: Top 25+ Endange
Page 4: Turtles in Trouble: Top 25+ Endange
Page 57 and 58: Turtles in Trouble: TURTLE Top 25+

Turtles in Trouble: The World's 25+ Most Endangered - Wildlife ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?