Slow and steady hope for near-extinct Asian Forest Tortoises

A baby Asian Forest Tortoise is seen walking at the Turtle Conservation Centre at a forest reserve in Rajendrapur, some 40km north of Dhaka. - AFP

Rajendrapur (Dec 1, ANN/Agencies): Newly-hatched tortoises take their first steps at a Bangladesh conservation park, their feet barely visible under hard shells that carry the weight of the species on their backs.

These tiny newborns -- 41 in all -- belong to a species thought to have gone extinct in the country until seven years ago, when they were rediscovered by conservationists with the help of locals in the southeastern Chittagong hills.