Elevating the survival prospects of Southern River Terrapin in Malaysia

Species Conservation Fund
Written By
 

© Pelf Nyok Chen

Project aims

  • Secure 1,600 eggs for incubation from four known nesting banks in the Kemaman River

  • Head start 400 hatchlings

  • Tag and release 500 healthy hatchlings into the Kemaman River

  • Conduct 10 monitoring surveys to assess the survival of post-release  hatchlings and to remove threats

Results

  • Collaborations between TCSM and Malaysia’s DWNP (Department of Wildlife and National Parks) resulted in a total of 668 (in the 2022 breeding season) and 1,037 (2023 breeding season)

  • Southern River Terrapin eggs being collected for incubating and head starting.

  • For unknown reasons, there were only 76 hatchlings in 2022. This number increased to 638 in 2023, giving a hatching success rate of 61.5% for 2023.

  • At least 500 headstarted turtles were tagged or microchipped and released into the Kemaman River

  • 340 kg of damaged and discarded illegal fishing gear were removed from the surveyed rivers

Reports

 

AT A GLANCE

 

Organisation: Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia

Country: Malaysia

Year project started: 2021

Species: Southern River Terrapin

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