IMAGE: Du Bin for The New York Times

Turtles and tortoises are swimming and crawling towards extinction.  Habitat degradation, loss and fragmentation due to population growth and expansion results in serious consequences for wildlife.  Furthermore, the bushmeat and pet trade adversely affects turtles and tortoises, because the rarer the species then the higher the demand and worth of that species. 

Asia has a number of remarkable giant soft-shell turtles.  These giant soft-shell turtles are poorly known and and very rare. For example, the Yangtze giant soft-shell turtle is represented in captivity by just one male and a single female.

Additionally, a single specimen of giant soft shell turtle from Hoan Kiem Lake, which is located in the heart of the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi may be the last of its species.

Conservation efforts can turn political.  The New York Times has information on how zoo politics may doom the Yangtze giant soft-shell turtle :

Extinction remains a far more immediate possibility for the Yangtze giant soft-shell. Next year, scientists will make a search in southwestern China in hopes of finding another Yangtze giant soft-shell in the wild. 

In September, the Changsha and Suzhou zoos finally reached a deal. Neither wanted to move its turtle. But each agreed that scientists could attempt artificial insemination next spring. Each also signed a contract entitling a certain number of offspring for each zoo — potential stud turtles for future captive breeding programs.

Gerald Kuchling, a herpetologist overseeing the procedure, said success was far from guaranteed. Several years ago, a tortoise in Hawaii died after a similar procedure. In May, Dr. Kuchling conducted an ultrasound examination of the ovaries of the female turtle in Changsha. For years, she has laid unfertilized eggs in springtime, though zookeepers say the number has steadily diminished, to about 20.

IMAGES of Pyxis arachnoides by Buck Denton. © all rights reserved

Madagascar’s tortoises face extinction from the illegal pet trade. In addition, they are consumed as bushmeat. From ScienceDaily:

Madagascar’s turtles and tortoises, which rank among the most endangered reptiles on earth, will continue to crawl steadily toward extinction unless major conservation measure are enacted, according to a recent assessment by the Wildlife Conservation Society and other groups. 

The groups, which met for four days in Madagascar’s capital city Antananarivo, said there is still hope to save these ancient animals, but time is running out as their habitat continues to shrink and illegal hunting worsens. Five of the nine assessed species have been downgraded to critically endangered, with one variety — the ploughshare tortoise — now numbering only a few hundred individuals. The other critically endangered species include the radiated tortoise, flat-tailed tortoise, spider tortoise and Madagascar big-headed turtle, all of which are found nowhere else on earth.

The New York Times Image Found Here
The Hoan Kiem Turtle Image Found Here

On the Net: Lone Vietnamese Turtle May Be Last Of Its Kind
On the Net: Rare Soft-Shell Turtle, Nesting Ground Found In Cambodia
On the Net: Asian Turtle Conservation Network – ATCN Homepage
On the Net: Asian Turtle Conservation Program