Thirteen snake-necked turtles endemic to Rote Island in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) returned home to Indonesia from Singapore this week, as part of a conservation effort to protect the endangered species.
The Rote Island snake-necked turtles (Chelodina mccordi) are classified as “critically endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and is considered one of the world’s rarest turtles today. In addition, the species is otherwise commonly written as “Roti Island snake-necked turtle.”
The 13 newly “repatriated” turtles, comprising 6 males and 7 females, were put on a cargo plane from Singapore using a plane from flag carrier Garuda Indonesia on Wednesday night. They first headed to Jakarta before continuing their journey to Kupang yesterday, according to a statement.
The turtles were previously under the care of Wildlife Reserves Singapore, and will reportedly undergo an adaptation period for sometime before being released back into the wild.
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