CONTINUOUSLY RECEIVES TURTLE RESCUE FROM PAGODAS
Information from the Education Center for Nature (ENV) said that over the past time, Ho Chi Minh City has continuously received turtles from temples in the area and voluntarily transferred them to wildlife protection authorities.
People bring turtles to the temples and left them there to wish for good karma (Image: ENV)
Specifically, in July, after receiving news from the community, the authorities worked with the facilities and received 40 turtles including many endangered, precious and rare species (large land turtles, turtles). rang, three-edged turtle), from 4 pagodas: Xa Loi Buddhist Temple (Vo Thi Sau Ward, District 3), Khmer Candaransi Pagoda (Vo Thi Sau Ward, District 3), Phap Buu Pagoda (Dong Thanh Commune). , Hoc Mon district) and Hue Nghiem Giang pagoda (Ward 7, Phu Nhuan district).
The temples voluntarily hand over these turtles to the authorities. Currently, all have been transferred to Cu Chi Wildlife Rescue Station for care.
Large land turtles, toothed turtles, and three-edged turtles are species listed in the List of endangered, precious and rare forest animals protected, promulgated together with Decree 06/2019/ND-CP (amended and supplemented). supplemented by Decree 84/2021/ND-CP). At the same time, these species are also included in Appendix II, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Wild Fauna and Flora. All acts of storing, keeping and trading turtles without sufficient documents to prove their legal origin and registered as prescribed are illegal acts, may be administratively sanctioned up to up to 300 million dong or criminally handle up to 12 years in prison.
In a survey of more than 400 temples, religious facilities and beliefs in Ho Chi Minh City carried out by ENV in early July 2022, many places still recorded activities of captive breeding and releasing turtles. This is a violation of the law, aiding in illegal hunting and trading of turtles, affecting turtle populations in the wild and the environment.
