Endangered rare turtle released back to sea

A rare leatherback turtle known scientifically as Dermochelys coriacea Linnaeus has been released back into the sea in the central province of Quang Binh.

Truong Thanh, a fisherman in Dong Hoi city, on August 4 found the 80 kilogramme turtle stuck in his net while fishing near the shore.

After learning that the turtle belongs to a rare species which is listed as critically endangered in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the fisherman released the giant reptile back to the sea.

Last year, fishermen in Le Thuy district also found a turtle of the same kind weighing over 300 kilogrammes and returned it to the sea.