今年6月17日，3831只雷岛东方龟（菲律宾特有的一种龟，粗颈龟属，也被称作巴拉望龟、菲律宾池龟等）被菲律宾政府查获并没收。经过菲律宾政府的追查，这3831只雷岛东方龟原本是要偷运至香港并发往中国、日本和欧洲等国。
龟类保育组织欣喜的表示，今年六月份的行动使得龟类保育者们看到了希望。他们从三千多只巴拉望龟中挑选出六只，饲养在katala的保育基地中。
Sabine Schoppe博士也是katala基金会的一名志愿者，在她和同事们的不懈努力下，基金会救助的90%的小家伙们都能够被释放至属于它们自己的地方。
在katala基金会的发布网站上，有很多资料都关于评估和发布龟类是如何自愈和在野外生存。
同时，他们也尝试阻止偷猎者发现被救助龟类的秘密放生地点。在龟类康复期间，有一部分母龟恰逢产卵时节，也有几只蛋刚刚孵化出来。
研究员们欣喜若狂，希望能通过对巴拉望龟的孵化及人工饲养来彻底揭开这种日渐稀有龟类的秘密。如果能解决这个问题，那么相信在不久的将来，巴拉望龟种群将能够逐渐恢复。
TurtleConservancy一直参与在这个项目中，感谢这些无私奉献的志愿者们。
以下是TurtleConservancy.org的原文：
On June 17th this year, 3,831 critically endangered Palawan Forest Turtles (Siebenrockiella leytensis) were confiscated from a smuggling ring on the island of Palawan in the Philippines. These turtles were poached from northern villages and were en route to pet markets in China, Hong Kong, Japan, and possibly Europe.
The Turtle Conservancy is thrilled to announce that of the original Palawan Forest Turtles confiscated from poachers this past June, only six remain in captivity at the Katala Foundation in Narra. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Dr. Sabine Schoppe, her coworkers, and volunteers at the Katala Foundation, almost 90% of the animals were able to be released back into the wild, in protected streams, where they belong.
The Katala Foundation is monitoring the release sites to assess how the released turtles are healing and surviving. They are also working hard to ensure that poachers do not find the release sites for these turtles. Several eggs laid by female turtles during their rehabilitation have just begun to hatch. Researchers hope to learn more about the turtle’s biology from these hatchlings. The Palawan Forest Turtle has never been bred successfully in captivity, and solving this puzzle may prove critical to their survival as a species.
Unfortunately, on October 18th, 2015, another confiscation of over 900 turtles (including 20 Palawan Forest Turtles) was made by the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD). PCSD officials made the bust in the city of Taytay in Palawan, and attribute the smuggling to alleged wildlife traffickers Joel Sulayaw, Gerald Favila and Benjie Dimasupil. The animals are purchased by poachers from local villagers for as little at US$3 per pound. Unfortunately many villagers often subsist on less than $20 per week, and must rely on supplemental income to survive. Once out of the country, the turtles may fetch prices as high as $50 each in China and over $1,200 in foreign markets like Japan and Europe.
As for the confiscation made in June, no offenders have been arrested or prosecuted.
What might have become a terrible tragedy turned into an amazing success story, due to the collaboration between organizations and individuals to save these turtles. We could not have done this important work without the incredibly generous support of donations from so many – thank you!
