Phnom Penh, 20 July 2024 – On July 19, 2024, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Dith Tina, alongside Governor of Koh Kong Province Lok Chumteav Mithona Phuthong, presided over the inauguration ceremony of the Royal Turtle Pond and Breeding Center at the Koh Kong Provincial Reptile Conservation Center, managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). The event saw the attendance of senior officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, the Fisheries Administration, local authorities from Koh Kong and Sihanoukville, local communities, and representatives from Mandai Nature, a donor supporting reptile conservation efforts, including royal turtles and crocodiles, at the center and along the Sre Ambel canal system.

The Koh Kong Provincial Reptile Conservation Center, located in Toul Korkir Leu Village, Toul Korkir Commune, Mondul Seima District, Koh Kong Province, serves as a safe haven for the conservation of royal turtles and crocodiles. The center focuses on rearing, breeding, and hatching turtle and crocodile eggs until the animals are mature enough to thrive in their natural habitats without re-entering the saltwater canal system.

During the ceremony, Minister Dith Tina and the delegation released 20 royal turtles into the Prek Sre Ambel system. Among them, 12 turtles were equipped with transmitters to monitor their movement, survival rate, and habitat utilization. Monitoring these turtles post-release is crucial for their protection and for the restoration of the royal turtle population in natural habitats.

The Royal Turtle was declared a national reptile of Cambodia in 2005. These turtles are found only in Cambodia, Malaysia, and Indonesia, with an estimated total population of about 100 in Cambodia.

The release of these turtles into their natural habitats supports the fisheries in the Prek Sre Ambel system, preserves biodiversity, and ensures the increase of Cambodia's national reptiles in their natural environments.