Authorities in An Hao Commune, Gia Lai Province, said on September 5 that they had received a rare golden mountain turtle from a local resident who voluntarily surrendered the animal after discovering it on her family's farmland.
Authorities receive the yellow mountain tortoise handed over by a local resident (Photo: Cong Nam).
The turtle was found on the morning of September 4 by Tran Thi Nam, 46, while she was working in a mulberry field in My Thanh Village.
Nam noticed a turtle with a yellow shell marked by black spots and suspected it was a protected wild animal. She subsequently brought it to An Hao Commune Police Station and reported the discovery.
Local police coordinated with commune authorities and the Hoai An Forest Protection Unit to complete procedures for receiving and managing the animal in accordance with regulations.
Officials later identified the turtle as a golden mountain turtle weighing approximately 1.4kg.
The species is classified as a rare and protected forest animal under Group IIB regulations in Vietnam. It is also listed in the Vietnam Red Data Book and is classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Authorities in An Hao Commune are completing the necessary procedures to release the turtle back into its natural habitat.