Reptiles Magazine
10 Southern River Terrapins Released Back Into The Wilds Of Cambodia
The release of these critically endangered chelonians is the result of a nearly 20 year effort to protect their nests and care for the young.
January 28, 2021
Southern river terrapin, Batagur affinis. Photo by Marek Velechovsky/Shutterstock
The Wildlife Conservation Society in coordination with Cambodia’s Department of Fisheries Conservation of the Fisheries Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and Wildlife Reserves Singapore, today announced the release of 10 Southern river terrapins (Batagur affinis) into Cambodia’s Sre Ambel River system.
The release of these critically endangered chelonians, also called royal turtles, is the result of a nearly 20 year effort to protect their nests and care for the young at Cambodia’s Koh Kong Reptile Conservation Centre as well as protection of the species on the Sre Ambel River.
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Remember Simba from the Disney movie The Lion King? Well, Singapore just introduced an artificially conceived lion cub who was named after the movie s protagonist. Likewise, NDTV reported that Simba s genetic father was named after the cartoon s father, Mufasa.
It is the first time for Singapore Zoo, and a rare phenomenon in general, to have a lion cub be conceived via artificial insemination. According to reports, Simba is now a three-month-old lion cub that is healthy and inquisitive and has his father s eyes.
In 2018, two cubs were born in South Africa via assisted reproduction. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has identified lions as vulnerable species, with only 20,000 lions surviving in Africa and a few hundred in India.