DISCOVERY NEWS (Silver Spring, Maryland) 22 February 11 Top 25 Most Endangered Turtles Named (Jennifer Viegas)

The world's 25 most endangered turtle species, some of which have populations numbering less than five individuals, have just been named in a report issued this week by the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Turtle Conservation Coalition.

Illegal hunting, habitat loss and the pet trade have drastically reduced numbers of tortoises and freshwater turtles in recent years, such that many species could go extinct in the next decade, according to the report.

“Turtles are being unsustainably hunted throughout Asia,” said co-author Brian D. Horne of the WCS. “Every tortoise and turtle species in Asia is being impacted in some manner by the international trade in turtles and turtle products. In just one market in Dhaka, Bangladesh, we saw close to 100,000 turtles being butchered for consumption during a religious holiday, and we know of at least three other such markets within the city.”

“Turtles are wonderfully adapted to defend themselves against predators by hiding in their shells, but this defense mechanism doesn’t work against organized, large-scale human hunting efforts," Liz Bennett, Vice President of the WCS Species Program, added. "The fact is that turtles are being vacuumed up from every nook and cranny in Asia and beyond.”

Perhaps the most well-known turtle on the list is "Lonesome George," believed to be the world's only Abdington Island giant tortoise. Another species very close to extinction is the Yangtze giant softshell turtle, represented now by only four known individuals. The last known male/female pair reside at Suzhou Zoo in China, where it's hoped that they will mate one day.

Here's the list of the Top 25 Most Endangered Turtles:

Chelonoidis abingdonii

Rafetus swinhoei

Cuora yunnanensis

Batagur baska

Batagur trivittata

Cuora zhoui

Cuora mccordi

Cuora aurocapitata

Cuora trifasciata

Astrochelys yniphora

Geochelone platynota

Chelodina mccordi

Chitra chitra

Mauremys annamensis

Dermatemys mawii

Erymnochelys madagascariensis

Batagur kachuga

Batagur affinis

Leucocephalon yuwonoi

Pseudemydura umbrina

Mesoclemmys hogei

Psammobates geometricus

Siebenrockiella leytensis

Podocnemis lewyana

Batagur borneoensis

Habitat protection, captive breeding and better enforcement of existing trade laws are all key to the survival of these species, along with others. You can read the entire full-color report, which includes additional photos and information, by clicking http://blogs.discovery.com/files/top_25_turtles_in_trouble_2011.pdf.
The 25 Most Endangered Turtles Named

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