Vietnam Repatriates 28 Rare Turtles From S. Korea Under Cites Cooperation

HANOI, May 14 (Bernama-VNA/VNS) -- Cuc Phuong National Park has received 28 endangered, rare Vietnamese turtles repatriated from South Korea, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.

The park said that the handover took place on Tuesday at Noi Bai International Airport, coordinated by Cuc Phuong National Park, the Indo-Myanmar Conservation (IMC), Vietnamese authorities and South Korea’s National Institute of Ecology (NIE), under cooperation on biodiversity conservation and implementation of CITES.

The turtles belong to several endangered and protected Vietnamese species, including the northern Vietnamese box turtle (Cuora galbinifrons), central Vietnamese box turtle (Cuora bourreti), keeled box turtle (Cuora mouhotii) and the black-breasted leaf turtle (Geoemyda spengleri).

These species face severe decline in the wild due to forest habitat loss and illegal hunting and trafficking for the pet trade.

According to Dr Kyuho Kang, who accompanied the turtles, they were seized by Korean authorities at Incheon Airport while being trafficked. After care at NIE’s rescue centre, returning them to their native range was prioritised to support long-term conservation.

Transport and handover were supervised by quarantine and conservation bodies, with all cross-border and veterinary procedures compliant with Vietnamese law and international protocols.

The turtles were transferred to Cuc Phuong National Park in Ninh Binh Province for quarantine and health checks. Eligible individuals will join conservation breeding or be released into the wild, said Nguyen Van Chinh, director of Cuc Phuong National Park.

Chinh said the repatriation highlights shared international responsibility under CITES to curb cross-border wildlife trafficking and supports efforts to restore Vietnam’s endangered turtle species.

Cuc Phuong, Vietnam’s first national park, is renowned for its tropical rainforest ecosystem and wildlife rescue and conservation programmes.

-- BERNAMA-VNA/VNS