Vietnamese farmers set accidentally-caught rare turtle free despite purchase offer
Friday, September 20, 2019, 10:08 GMT+7
Two clam farmers in north-central Vietnam have released a rare turtle after it was caught in their nets, even though someone had offered to buy the animal for VND10 million (US$430).
Tran Van Luu and Tran Van Luong, the two farmers in Son Hai Commune, Nghe An Province, discovered the turtle, which weighed about 11 kilograms, being stuck in their clam nets on Wednesday afternoon.
Luu and Luong decided to bring the reptile home and reported the incident to the Son Hai People’s Committee.
Some local residents heard of the news and offered to buy the turtle for VND5 million ($215) to VND10 million ($430), a fair amount by local standards.
“We didn’t want to sell the turtle,” Luu said.
“We just wanted to release it to its natural habitat.”
The two farmers, with the assistance of local authorities, eventually set it free on Thursday morning.
According to local authorities, the rare turtle species, characterized by a yellowish belly and reddish shell, is listed in Vietnam's Red Data Book.
Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
