June 11, 2013 -The Times Union, The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has three new arrivals — highly endangered Yellow Headed Temple Turtles, the first hatched at the Northside Jacksonville facility.
Temple Turtles come from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Lao. The species earned its name because they are often captured in the wild and “liberated” into Buddhist temple pools, according to zoo officials.
One of the largest aquatic turtles in Southeast Asia, the species can get to 2 feet in length. But temple turtles are often exploited for meat, eggs or use in traditional medicines or as pets.
The zoo’s temple turtles were part of a shipment confiscated in October 2010 in Hong Kong. The Turtle Survival Alliance raised the money needed to airlift them to the Jacksonville zoo, where more than 40 of them were processed. The zoo retained six for display and breeding purposes.
For two photos of turtle go to
http://jacksonville.com/news/florida/2013-06-11/story/jacksonville-zoo-celebrates-hatching-three-endangered-temple-turtles#ixzz2WUWNlDmg
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