KRATIE: WCS, in collaboration with the Fisheries Administration, has released 51 baby tortoises into a natural habitat along the Mekong River in Kratie province's Sambo district, to prevent the species from further endangerment in Cambodia.

Som Sitha, the Technical Officer of the Cambodian Wildlife Conservation Association in Kratie province, confirmed that 51 baby turtles were released into a natural habitat along the Mekong River in Sambo district.

The baby turtles were collected by community nest protection teams from the bank along the Mekong River immediately after hatching, and then reared for two to four weeks before being released into the natural shelter.

The Technical Officer added that the frog-headed tortoise is a species of tortoise that is not as slow as turtles and can attack its prey faster than a snake.

The tortoise is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The IUCN states that frog-headed tortoises are most commonly found in Cambodia, living along the Mekong River in Kratie province, but also in some other Asian countries.

Every year, frog-headed tortoises and lizards breed between November and June. According to the community nest protection teams, as of mid-February 2022, the teams have found 28 nests of tortoises, with a total of 823 eggs in this year’s spawning season. This number is more than 50% higher than the spawning season of 2020-2021 in the same period.