The Cham Islands Nature Reserve Management Board said on October 26 that the two protected animals had been rescued and returned to their natural habitats in separate incidents.
On October 23, Tran Thanh Chung, a resident of Hoi An Dong Ward, handed over a 1.6-kg elongated tortoise (Indotestudo elongata) to local police.
After a health check confirmed the tortoise was in good condition, authorities released it into a suitable habitat on the Cham Islands.
Two days later, Nguyen Thi Tron, a resident of Bai Ong Village in Tan Hiep Commune, discovered a reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus) weighing about 3 kg entangled in a net behind her house.
She immediately alerted authorities, who freed the python, checked its condition and returned it to the wild.
Both species are listed under Group IIB of Vietnam's protected forest wildlife regulations, which impose strict controls on their exploitation and trade.
The elongated tortoise helps maintain forest ecosystems by dispersing seeds through its diet of plants and fallen fruit, while the reticulated python helps regulate prey populations.
The management board said returning the animals to the wild contributes to biodiversity conservation in the Cham Islands Biosphere Reserve.
Residents and visitors have been advised to keep a safe distance from wild animals, avoid capturing or transporting them illegally and immediately notify authorities or the reserve management board when encountering wildlife in need of rescue.
