The turtle was found by Nguyen Thi Thuy Dung, a resident of Dong Xuan Hamlet in Loc Dien Commune, Phu Loc District, on her way home. Recognizing it as a rare and endangered species, she proactively contacted the forest rangers to hand it over, hoping it would be rescued and released back into its natural habitat.

The golden mountain turtle (Indotestudo elongata) is a terrestrial species classified under Group IIB in the list of endangered, precious, and rare forest animals protected under Government Decree 84/2021.

Earlier, on May 21, the Forest Protection Department of Phong Dien town, in coordination with Phong Thu Ward Police, also received a pangolin voluntarily handed over by Le Cong Thanh, a resident of Tay Lai residential group. The animal had wandered into Thanh’s house and was promptly turned over to the authorities.

Pangolins are listed in Group IB, a category of forest animals strictly banned from hunting, captivity, or trade for commercial purposes under Vietnamese law and the CITES convention.

According to Le Ngoc Tuan, Director of the Forest Protection Sub-Department of Thua Thien Hue province, since 2022, local residents have voluntarily handed over 265 wild animals, including 212 individuals from species requiring strict protection. From the beginning of 2025 to date alone, 33 rare and endangered animals have been turned over to forest rangers by local residents.

National park releases rare wild animals back to the wild

The Wildlife Rescue Centre at the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in the central province of Quang Binh on May 23 said that it has released 17 rescued rare animals back to the wild.