20 rare Royal Turtles freed into natural habitat in Cambodia

File photo of people holding the critically endangered royal turtles, also known as the Southern River Terrapin at a conservation centre in Koh Kong province. - PPP

PHNOM PENH (Xinhua): Twenty Cambodia's nearly-extinct Royal Turtles were released into their natural habitat in the Sre Ambel River in southwest Koh Kong province on Wednesday (March 22), a conservationist group said.

The Royal Turtle, also known as Southern River Terrapin (Batagur affinis), is one of the world's 25 most endangered tortoises and freshwater turtles and is listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as Critically Endangered.