Controversy about mounting a Tortoise tracking device

Scientists have counter-opinions about whether or not electronic monitoring equipment should be attached to the Turtle Lake, Hanoi. The reason for rejection is unnecessary and costly.

At the seminar on Assuring the Living Environment of Sword Lake Turtle this morning, we discussed the solution to renovate Sword Lake in order to bring the Turtle back to the wild soon. floating around an electronic chip

Proponents of chip mounting say this will facilitate the tracking of the Tortoise tool, paving the way for further research.

Mr. Mai Dinh Yêm, chairman of the biology association, said that there are many animals in the world today with chips attached."Attaching a chip to monitor the development of Tortoise is something that should be done, from then on to know when Turtle is sick, what to eat ," said Yêm. .

Animal Society Chairman Dang Huy Huynh commented that mounting chips for Tortoise is a long-term thing to do, because the device will help monitor the whole operation of Mr. Turtle in the area of ​​Sword Lake, facilitating the work. research.

Health Turtle's sword has recovered.Photo provided by Associate Professor Ha Dinh Duc.

However, many scientists say that chips should not be attached to turtles.

Dr. Ha Dinh Duc affirmed: "Tortoise is not a prisoner but attaches a tracking chip, let it be natural, when we get sick, we bring it to the crotch to bring it up. Without attaching chips to the instrument, each The time when the tool emerged just signaled the surprise and the sacred ".

Mr. Dang Gia Tung, deputy director of Hanoi zoo, said that under the Sword Lake, if only one turtle tool is attached, the chip mounting is not necessary.

Tim McCormack, Asia Turtle Program Coordinator, commented that it is difficult to integrate tracking chips for Sword Lake Turtle.

Currently there are two tracking methods in the world by radio waves (traditional method) and by global positioning system (GPS). If the radio wave method is used, it is the use of signal transmission from the transmitter (chip), the wave is transmitted with a certain frequency. The receiver is a receiver that can receive signals directly from the transmitter.

" The mounting of the chip is complicated. With soft shell turtle, we need to drill the cartilage underneath the shell, or tie the cable, this is completely unsuitable for Hoan Kiem Turtle ," McComack said.

On the other hand, this method of accuracy is not high, the team must search, determine the position of the Turtle every time. In the case of using a battery with a battery, the battery must be replaced every year, every time the battery is replaced, the Turtle must be brought up, he said.

McComack offers another method that uses GPS, which means using tracking satellites from broadcast devices. Location Turtle is observed on the computer at any time. These positioning devices are usually fixed with solid glue, belt, and battery, while the belt can be torn, punctured, short battery life, high cost. Therefore "chip mounting for Turtle tools is expensive ", he said.

Experts agree that the Turtle should be released back to the lake as soon as possible.

" Turtle is a wild animal, it is necessary to keep the behavior of the wild species. If being in the land for a long time will soon be tamed ", Mr. Dang Gia Tung of Hanoi Zoo noted. "Before being released back to the lake, Mr. Turtle needs to practice to get away from the artificial environment and nurture and regain self-sufficiency skills."