Hanoi plans to restore the Hoan Kiem turtle

Building a fence to prevent the migration of Hoan Kiem turtles, regularly patrolling, guarding, building an automatic water monitoring system for lakes is a number of measures Hanoi will take to protect two individuals of Hoan Kiem turtles of Vietnam, in which a new individual was discovered at Ho Xuan Khanh, Son Tay town, Hanoi.

Hanoi People's Committee has just issued a Plan to preserve individuals of Sin-hoe (Hoan Kiem turtle) in Dong Mo lakes and Xuan Khanh lake in the period of 2018-2020, oriented to 2030 with the long-term goal of preventing stop the decline, gradually recover, improve and increase the number of Hoan Kiem turtles in Hanoi city.

In the short term, focus on protecting the safety of Hoan Kiem turtles in 2 lakes, studying to build Hoan Kiem turtle conservation facility and conducting surveys and verifying the number of individuals and sexes of Hoan Kiem turtle in Dong Mo lake and Xuan Khanh. It is expected that the period of 2021-2025 will study suitable biological characteristics, natural conditions and environment as a basis for proposing a breeding plan for reproduction, if possible.

Individual Hoan Kiem turtle in Dong Mo Lake, one of two individuals of Hoan Kiem turtle still live in Vietnam. (Photo: ATP).

From then until 2026, the project of conservation, breeding and breeding of Hoan Kiem turtle species will be carried out, to restore the world's rarest turtle species and a spiritual symbol of Hanoi people.

Implementing the above objectives, Hanoi will deploy a series of measures from propaganda and protection to scientific research and international cooperation. Specifically, the investment project will be prepared and submitted for approval to build a fence to prevent the migration of Hoan Kiem turtles at spillways and places at risk of turtles escaping from the lake. Regularly patrolling, guarding, protecting absolutely the safety of Hoan Kiem turtles in the lakes, strictly handling invasive acts, destroying the living and developing environment of Hoan Kiem turtles.

Regarding scientific research, Hanoi will investigate and verify the number of Hoan Kiem turtles in Xuan Khanh and Dong Mo lakes. Building a system of automatic environmental monitoring at lakes, sex determination, biological behavior of Hoan Kiem turtle, implementation of monitoring equipment with recorded individuals of Hoan Kiem turtle and deployment of one the number of scientific research projects in depth on biological characteristics, reproductive behavior and natural conditions of turtles to serve the protection and care. Hanoi city also encourages domestic and foreign organizations and individuals to invest and provide technical, financial and technological support to conserve and develop the Hoan Kiem turtle.

Earlier, in early April 2018, conservationists of the Asian Turtle Development Program discovered one more individual Hoan Kiem turtle in Vietnam by analyzing environmental genes. This is the second Hoan Kiem turtle in Vietnam and the fourth living Hoan Kiem turtle in the world.

This shocking discovery opens up the opportunity for farming, restoring the world's rarest turtle populations after years of stalemate. The two remaining turtles live in Suzhou Zoo, China. However, the breeding effort for many years has been unsuccessful because one of the two individuals was determined to be too old.