A resident in Hà Tĩnh discovered a rare golden mountain turtle while working in the fields and handed it over to the authorities for release back into the wild.
The golden mountain turtle discovered by the resident.
On August 11, the Kỳ Anh District Forest Rangers in Hà Tĩnh, in collaboration with local authorities and residents, transferred one rare golden mountain turtle to Vũ Quang National Park.
The turtle weighs 0.4 kg and has a shell that features a yellow color interspersed with black hexagonal patterns. It was discovered by Nguyễn Văn Dương (born 1982, residing in Kỳ Tân commune) on August 9 while he was working in the fields.
Recognizing that this was a golden mountain turtle, a species listed as endangered and in need of protection, Dương contacted the relevant authorities to hand it over for safe release back into its natural habitat. After receiving the turtle, Vũ Quang National Park will monitor and care for it before reintroducing it to the wild.
The golden mountain turtle, scientifically named Indotestudo elongata, is classified as a group IIB species under the forest plants and endangered wildlife category according to Decree 6/2019/NĐ-CP, amended by Decree 84/2021/NĐ-CP of the Government.