Critically Endangered Turtle Hatches at California Conservation Center

A critically endangered turtle, once thought to be extinct, hatched two weeks ago at the Turtle Conservancy's center in California.

This is the first hatching of Arakan Forest Turtle at the Ojai-based facility and one of only 28 hatching ever recorded in the United States, according to the Turtle Conservancy. This turtle, hatched on Jan. 12, was the first to hatch in the past two years, the Turtle Conservancy said.

The Arakan Forest Turtle was thought to be extinct, having last been seen in 1908, until it was rediscovered in 1994 at a food market in China, according to the Conservancy.

The species was originally found only in the hills of Western Myanmar and was just discovered in nearby Bangladesh.

“This is a great step forward for a species that was once thought to be gone forever,” Turtle Conservancy's CEO Paul Gibbons said. “Hopefully our efforts, along with our global partners, will ensure that the Arakan Forest Turtle never faces extinction again.”

The non-profit Turtle Conservancy, located about 83 miles from downtown Los Angeles, has been working with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and other zoos in the world to preserve this and other endangered turtle and tortoise species. It is the only AZA-certified facility dedicated solely to the conservation of turtles and tortoises.

This hatchling represents a rare example of second-generation captive breeding, the Conservancy said. The facility raised the parents, who were also hatched in captivity, for more than 10 years.

The Conservancy is home to one male and four female adult Arakan Forest Turtles, along with over 700 other endangered turtles and tortoises. The animals make up an “assurance colony” to establish a genetically viable population until conservationists can stabilize threatened wild populations, the Conservancy said.

“We hope that one day many of these animals will be returned to their native countries,” Turtle Conservancy co-founder and president Eric Goode said. “Ours was the first organization in the US to return endangered turtles to their native range, but the task still remains of protecting their habitat for the long term.”

The Arakan Forest Turtle is classified as Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. The population is declining due to black market demand across Asia for food, traditional medicine and the pet trade.

Turtles and tortoises are the most endangered group of vertebrates on the planet, the Conservancy said. Approximately 365 species of freshwater turtles and tortoises exist and more than half are threatened with extinction due to illegal trade and habitat loss, according to the Conservancy.

-- Photo courtesy of the Turtle Conservancy