Following a confiscation of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles (TFT) seizure in Bac Giang province, northern Vietnam last week (posted on our Facebook on 29th of March 2017), the ATP and TCC team are making the first rescue of 2017. The Bac Giang city ranger station have been caring for these animals over the past week while the case has been processed and now all animals identified as illegal, are to be transferred to the Turtle Conservation Centre (TCC) at Cuc Phuong National Park.

  11 turtles of three species including four Big-headed turtle (Platysternon megacephalum), two Impressed tortoise (Manouria impressa), and five Giant Asian pond turtle (Heosemys grandis) from this confiscation have arrived safe and sound at Cuc Phuong today. They will undergo 3-month quarantine where our staff will help the animals recover and rehabilitate them, unfortunately after the stress of the trade it is likely not all will make it. After that we hope to start releases of some back to the wild.

We would like to thank Bac Giang provincial Forest Protection Department (FPD) for their first TFT confiscation of 2017 and for their transfer of these animal to the TCC.