The Dream is Alive for ‘Palawan Forest Turtle’ conservation as single egg hatches
Ten years of hard work by conservationists finally paid off, as a single egg of a Palawan forest turtle successfully hatched keeping the hope alive for this endangered species.
The Palawan forest turtle (Siebenrockiella leytensis) is an endemic freshwater turtle that has faced threats as it is highly sought after in the illegal wildlife trade. Good news came for this species on June 24 when a hatchling emerged from its egg. Conservationists named the hatchling “Sonja”. Its parents have been living in their “assurance colony” facilities in Palawan for years.
Dr. Sabine Schoppe, director of the Palawan Freshwater Turtle Conservation Program (PFTCP) of the Katala Foundation, Inc. (KFI) explained that assurance colonies are typically set up for species that are facing threats and possible extinction in the wild. Palawan forest turtles that will be raised in captivity will be part of this assurance colony and will be released later in areas where its population has declined due to poaching.
Schoppe and PFTCP has been studying and researching the Palawan forest turtle for the past 15 years, with support from the Wildlife Reserve Singapore (WRS).
“Five years ago, with support from WRS, we intensified research on the Palawan forest turtle, and now have a better understanding of their food preferences, incubation requirements like humidity and temperature, incubation time, nesting prerequisites, enclosure and furniture design, and necessary environmental conditions to trigger reproduction,” Schoppe said.
Referring to the first successful hatchling as a landmark accomplishment in the conservation of Palawan forest turtles, Schoppe said that they are “very positive” there will be more to come.
“The recent breeding success is a true milestone in the conservation of this important species and gives us hope that we can turn things around even for lesser known species in this region,” she said.
via Philippine News Agency / Celeste Anna Formoso
