Artwork/INT As a person with more than 20 years of research on Ho Guom turtles, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ha Dinh Duc, former senior lecturer at the University of Natural Sciences (Hanoi National University) still has many doubts. Hoan Kiem Lake turtle is the only species loài Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ha Dinh Duc said that ten years ago, the Asian Turtle Conservation Program posed the problem of searching for individual Ho Guom turtles living in other places to pair for the purpose of species conservation. Since 2006, when he discovered that Dong Mo Lake is also likely to have at least one individual of Ho Guom tortoise, he disagreed on the subspecies. Although he went to the place and studied on photos, he found that the Dong Mo lake turtle was completely different in terms of the Sword Lake turtle morphology. Sword Lake turtle is a new species of turtle, the world’s scientific name is Rafetus leloii because this turtle is associated with the legend of King Le returning his sword on Luc Thuy lake in the 15th century, the lake changed its name to Hoan Kiem lake (Ho Guom). . The word “Rafetus” is the name of the genus of turtle, which is derived from the name of the river Raft in India. “leloi” is the species name, named after Le Loi. The person associated with the legend returns the Treasure Sword to the Turtle God. As a rule, the species name is one word, not capitalized, so the two words Le Loi write together as leloi, and add the character ‘i’ to become leloi. In the International Conference “Sustainable Development – Hanoi Capital – City of Culture, Heroes, For Peace” on the occasion of the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long – Hanoi, once again Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ha Dinh Duc again Announcement on Sword Lake Turtle a new species of tortoise for science. “It can be affirmed that the Asian Turtle Conservation Program has never studied the Sword Lake Turtle in Hoan Kiem Lake but only investigated the Rafetus species. Dong Mo turtle and Chinese tortoise are not Sword Lake turtles”, said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ha Dinh Duc. Sword Lake Turtle has the largest size of freshwater turtles in Southeast Asia, as well as in the world. Ho Guom tortoise has a white spot on the top of its head and is slightly skewed to the left. Eyes are rounded slightly upward, but do not rise above the surface of the head. The nostrils open to the anterior limit of the anterior jaw bone. The ivory-white horns cover the anterior jaw bone. The fleshy lip encloses the outer margin of the upper jaw and the posterior half of the lower jaw. The back of the head, neck and carapace are light gray. The underside of the chin, neck and bib are pale pink. The carapace is oval in shape, the spine is slightly concave, without spots or stripes. The shell is covered with soft frilled skin that extends beyond the outer margin of the carapace. The fringe of the skin is thin, the back is elongated and slightly cambered. The upper horn covers the anterior jaw bone and the anterior half of the maxillary bone. The lower horn covers the anterior half of the dentate bone and the anterior part of the coronal bone. The limbs are very strong, the feet have wide swimming webbed and have 3 large horn claws. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ha Dinh Duc said, in history books as well as in legends, there are no documents or stories about a large turtle that once lived in Luc Thuy Lake. It was not until the 15th century that people knew about this turtle through the legend of Hoan Kiem of King Le. So far, there are no documents or information about this large turtle in any water body of Hanoi. Based on the results of comparative research on morphology with large soft-shelled turtles in the world, as well as in Southeast Asia, and discussed with international turtle researchers, such as: Prof. Kraig Adler – University Cornell (USA) and two other experts, Dr. William P. McCord and Dr. Patrick J. Baker, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ha Dinh Duc found that Hoan Kiem Lake turtle species is completely different. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ha Dinh Duc. Sword Lake has only one “turtle” “Someone said there are 2-3 “turtles” in Hoan Kiem Lake. But from the time I started researching until the “old man” passed away, I confirmed that Sword Lake had only one “old turtle”. Even when the “grandfather” was weak, everyone trembled when deciding to bring him up. Seeing 2 bubbles of water, many people said that there were 2 “old turtles”, after picking up the “tools”, they thought that there was another “tool”, possibly bigger. However, there is nowhere to catch. Personally, I find that “old turtle” has actions that are really difficult to explain”, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ha Dinh Duc shared. In many interviews with the press decades ago, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ha Dinh Duc always expressed the need to find additional sources, because he affirmed that Hoan Kiem Lake has only one “turtle”. . In 2016, the “old turtle” died, he was also a consultant to make a template to look like “the old man” as when he was alive. At present, despite his advanced age, whenever he hears that there are descendants of the “grandfather” he is on the road again. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ha Dinh Duc’s whole life has been with the University of Hanoi (now the University of Natural Sciences, Vietnam National University, Hanoi). At the age of “rare and old”, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ha Dinh Duc still has many concerns with Hoan Kiem turtles. On December 18, 2020, the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, in collaboration with the Asian Turtle Conservation Program (ATP), announced the sex determination results of Hoan Kiem turtles in Dong Mo Lake. Hanoi). The results of genetic testing published by scientists have confirmed that the female turtle caught in October 2020 is a species of Rafetus swinhoei, a soft-shell turtle that is on the verge of extinction. This tortoise is also known as Giai Sin-hoe – Hoan Kiem Turtle. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ha Dinh Duc also visited the place to see this trapped turtle. He said that although the genetic test results match with the Ho Guom tortoise, he is still “troubled”. Because in terms of appearance, the individual turtles in Dong Mo and Xuan Khanh lakes are not like the “old turtle” of Hoan Kiem Lake as he has known so far. To classify turtles, people rely on morphological characteristics and genetic testing. According to his observations, the Dong Mo turtle does not have the same characteristics as the Sword Lake turtle. “I observed that this turtle’s head is more pointed, the snout is more pointed, and has a very different pattern. The structure of the turtle’s eye is also not the same as that of the Ho Guom turtle I know. I have no knowledge of genetics or genetic engineering, but I am skeptical. Sword Lake Turtle is a new, endemic and rare species of turtle, but this turtle in Dong Mo looks like many common turtle species. I think it is possible that it is the same species of turtle, but belongs to a different species, a different breed… Hopefully scientists will clarify this with concrete evidence,” wondered Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ha Dinh Duc. Currently, there are two specimens of Ho Guom turtle. The first specimen died on June 20, 1967 and the second specimen died on January 19, 2016. The second specimen is plasticized according to modern German technology, which can be preserved for a long time.

Hon Cau in May, the sea water is clear and blue, each wave is gently lapping against the sand. The southern monsoon season, which lasts from May to October, is also the breeding season for turtles. Hon Cau Marine Reserve is located on a corner of the island, standing here, you can hear the whispers of the waves, the wind and the sea caressing the white sand slopes. Ms. Luu Yen Phi is the only female employee of the Nature Reserve. Hon Cau Sea For many years, she and her brothers and sisters in the group participated in the work of the patrol team to prevent boats from fishing in the reserve. She shared: “In the breeding season, turtles will come up to lay eggs. There are 4-5 turtles on the island or up, so the brothers will divide to watch turtles to avoid people coming to catch them. Turtle eggs will be brought to the beaches. Incubate and observe. From 45 to 60 days, the baby turtles will hatch and be released into the sea.” Being a “midwife” for turtles is a job that needs a lot of love and enthusiasm. The first time from the mainland to the island, Ms. Phi was also “stunned” by the waves crashing on the side of the boat, or her skin was also darkened by the sun and wind of Hon Cau. But for a long time without going to the sea, she felt very “uncomfortable”. Because the smell of the sun, the wind, the passionate smell of Hon Cau sea has created an inseparable taste of life in her. Being a girl, participating in conservation work is somewhat more difficult. There are days when she is on duty on the island, she is alone and walking on the way from the station to the turtle spawning ground at 1 or 2 am. Where there is so much love yêu There are evenings, the whole team like “holding their breath” when following the turtle’s footsteps. The brothers waited for the turtles to lay their eggs and then brought the eggs back to the incubator. During the day, everyone will come together to clean up the trash and clean the sea. Yen Phi confided: “ Every time I go to the island, I feel happy and familiar. Those who buy rough seas, I don’t go to the island, I miss them very much. Unlike the mainland, the “house” on the island is just enough for basic living, eating and resting, not too comfortable. But it is the place to pack so many memories of my years here. The brothers also split up to cook and support each other.” The members of Hon Cau Marine Protected Area all have a lot of love for the sea and for the gentle turtles. “Here, people can live in harmony with nature. The process of caring for and taking care of turtles is also an emotional journey. Around 45 -60 days, when the turtle eggs are about to hatch, cracks will appear on the ground. . I have to gently use medical gloves to put the turtle in the basket. When it reaches adulthood, it will return to the place it was born to continue to reproduce.” Phi said more. Rescue journeys The reason why the group has to maintain the garbage collection at the beach is because there have been many cases of turtles swallowing plastic bags. When in the sea, plastic bags are shaped like strength, so turtles will choke if they eat them. Phi once witnessed turtles eat the wrong straw when pulling out a lot of blood. Or there are days when turtles get caught in fisherman’s nets and are transported to pubs, the group has to rush to “rescue”. She said: “ When I received news that turtles were being sold to pubs, I had to get there as quickly as possible to lobby them to release them. After receiving the turtle, the group will bring it back to the sea to release. For many years, people have been trying to do propaganda to people about the conservation of sea turtles.” Occasionally, the center receives cases of turtles being kept in freshwater for a long time by people. When the issue of conservation of sea turtles became known to many people, they automatically handed over the turtles. Phi shared: “I couldn’t release them into the sea, because they had lost their wild instincts and couldn’t hunt. The group had to release them into a big lake, bring salt water back to the turtles to get used to the salinity every day, and at the same time train them instincts. Depending on the case, from 3 to 6 months or 1 year, we can release them back to the sea.” Volunteers come to Hon Cau island every year There are more heartbreaking cases than when I saw a turtle eating the wrong straw, when I pulled the straw out, I lost a lot of blood. Turtles hitting explosives washed up on the beach, which were not intact or were butchered by people on boats and washed ashore. Experiencing difficulties, hardships and “suffocating” rescue journeys, but Phi and her teammates still maintain this work with enthusiasm. “In order for my children and grandchildren to know what turtles are like in the future. I don’t want them to only know “sea turtles” through books. “, she confided. Before accepting the interview with SAOStar, Phi was also embarrassed many times because “what I do is too small compared to the brothers”. However, we still believe that Phi and her silent dedication have also sketched a beautiful picture of Hon Cau sea, where a team to rescue and protect sea turtles is working day and night with all their heart. .

Hearing the name feels dear, the trip “Going home” is the journey where we can directly release wild animals back to the primeval forest in Cuc Phuong National Park (Ninh Binh). When joining tour , visitors will cross the forest road, admire the pristine scenery and visit some points of the national park. One small note is that tour limited to 15 people at a time, so as not to affect the re-release. Photo: Cuc Phuong National Park. The individuals of wild animals that are released back into the forest can include birds, monkeys, reptiles, wildcats, civets… These are animals that have been captured and rescued from many animal trafficking and transportation cases. illegal wildlife. The program does not charge a service fee, we can contribute voluntary funds to support conservation activities of the national park. “We believe that anyone who witnesses the moment when wild animals are returned to nature, will have a good feeling with nature in general and with wildlife in particular, thereby stimulating to raise awareness and responsibility of each person in protecting wildlife” – Nguyen Van Chinh, Director of Cuc Phuong National Park shared. Boating to pick up trash, discovering Hoi An is different Young people always want to live fully every moment in new lands, both experience and leave their mark by participating in activities aimed at protecting the green planet and healthy environment. Accordingly, the Hoi An travel itinerary will be different and memorable when the teen joins tour rowing boats to pick up trash along the Hoai River area, from Cam Thanh commune to the city. Photo: Phuong Dien. Join tour , we will row the boat ourselves kayak and used a racket to pick up trash on a road about 8 km along Hoai River. To join this tour, foreign tourists have to pay a fee of 10 USD (about 230,000 VND), while domestic tourists are being completely free. Mr. Nguyen Van Long, director of a travel agency in Hoi An, took the lead in implementing tour This particular tour said, currently tours are held on weekends. Photo: Phuong Dien. “I want visitors to share with me to protect the environment of Hoi An, but I don’t think I will profit from this tour. The amount of 10 USD/foreign guest I collect, I use to buy sacks, rent a boat to collect garbage to destroy, hire staff to serve tourists…” – Mr. Long shared. Fly to Con Dao to protect sea turtles One of the travel experiences that many tourists love when coming to Con Dao is visiting Bay Canh Island and watching turtles lay eggs. However, not everyone knows, the most common species of sea turtle in Con Dao National Park – the vich – is currently listed in the Vietnam Red Book. Therefore, the Management Board of Con Dao National Park has coordinated with the International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN to bring about efforts to protect this sea turtle. Photo: Khanh Tran. Becoming a volunteer of this program, you will be assigned to many small islands to perform tasks such as following the turtle’s footsteps to mark the egg nest or helping the mother turtle stuck in the roots to return to the sea safely. when crossing land, dig sand to collect eggs and bring them back to the hatchery, record the date of laying – the number of eggs… Not only rescue turtles, the volunteers also help the forest rangers welcome and serve tourists, clean up trash, clean the beach, draw pictures, design billboards to propagate environmental protection messages. environment, protecting nature, preserving sea turtles, contributing to embellishing the island’s space more vividly. Photo: IUCN. “On duty” to rescue turtles right on the beach, so the volunteers also have to get used to the limited use of electricity and water, the phone often loses signal. But what are those obstacles compared to these wonderful experiences, the pride that money can’t buy, right?

Giant water lilies in South America 2. Whale Shark: Whale sharks are the largest fish in the world, adults can be 20 meters long. Possessing huge weight but they are not harmful to humans. To see whale sharks, you can go to Gladden Spit marine reserve in Belize (Central America) from March to June every year, Ningaloo marine park in Australia from March to August, or Isla Holbox in Mexico from May to October. 3. Leatherback Sea Turtle: The Leatherback is the world’s largest tortoise and also an endangered species. When mature, they are about 2.5 m long and weigh 900 kg, looking like a small truck. To see this turtle, you can go to travelFlorida from March to July, on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica from March to June and at the Shell Beach reserve in Guyana from March to August. 4. Eastern gorilla: The eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei) is the largest and most endangered primate in the Red List. Compared to other gorillas, they are much larger with an average weight of 200 kg. They are found in the dense forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Rwanda. Another subspecies of them is the mountain gorilla found in Bwindi impregnable national park in Uganda. 5. African Elephant: The African elephant is the largest land animal in the world. Their body is 9.1 m long and weighs 7.5 tons. At birth, the baby elephant weighed 90 kg and was 1 m tall. Currently, the danger to African elephants is mainly from poaching for ivory. To see this species, you can go to travel Botswana (South Africa) – home to the largest number of elephants in the world (130,000 heads). In addition, many other countries in Africa such as Tanzania, South Africa, Gabon, Zambia… are also home to this species. 6. Rafflesia Flower: The rafflesia flower has huge red-dotted petals 1.2 m in diameter and an unpleasant smell of rotting flesh. However, this is characteristic of Sabah, Malaysia and Surat Thani province, Thailand. You can admire this exotic flower in the rainforests of Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia… 7. Komodo Dragon: This world’s largest lizard retains the appearance of a prehistoric dinosaur. They average 3 m long and weigh 140 kg. The rare Komodo dragon is found only in Komodo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Indonesia. 8. Red kangaroo: The red kangaroo is the largest marsupial in the world, as well as the largest animal on the Australian continent. As adults, they are 2 m tall and weigh 100 kg. The powerful hind legs allow them to jump 7 m high and move at a speed of 56 km / h. You can find red kangaroos in the arid regions of the continent in Australia, or in Mungo National Park. 9. Saltwater crocodile: This largest reptile in the world is an average of 6 meters long and weighs 1 ton. The swimming speed of this species is also terrible, up to 30 km / h, 3 times faster than the fastest athletes. Saltwater crocodiles can be found in Kakadu National Park and Nitmiluk National Park in Australia. In addition, when visiting many Southeast Asian countries and India, customers travel You can also see saltwater crocodiles. 10. Blue whale: The blue whale is the largest animal that has ever existed on Earth, far more than the dinosaurs in history. When adult blue whales reach a length of 33 m and weigh 200 tons, their heart alone is as heavy as a car. You can see this amazing animal off the coast of Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, from March to April, or in western Australia from May to December.