HONG KONG: Several exotic species of turtles residing in the concrete jungle of Hong Kong are facing an immediate extinction owing to widespread poaching.
According to CNN, Hong Kong’s jungle has been one of the last havens for several exotic turtle species, but they were under the threat of extinction as poaching incidents were rising dramatically as their disappearing populations compel poachers to cast their nets ever wider in search of new supply.
These turtles are found in the hinterlands of Hong Kong’s new territories just south of the border with China.
According to Sung Yik-hei, an associate professor at Lingnan University, Hong Kong is one of Asia’s remaining strongholds of turtle conservation. Since he began keeping track of the turtle population in the city more than ten years ago, he calculates that it has decreased by 60% to 80%.
He feels that making the public aware of the turtles’ condition is his best opportunity to prevent their extinction, even if it means breaking the veil of secrecy that has protected them for so long.
Previously, Sung said, “We didn’t want to tell citizens we have turtles populations, or what is referred to as robust potential populations.” “We were concerned that a select few people might become attracted and go hunting, even though we were interested in educating people about wild turtles.”
He and his academic environmentalists now believe it is “now or never.” He declared that things “cannot get any worse from here.”
Sung said that the subtropical climate, numerous rivers and streams, and relative absence of human activity make it the ideal location for several kinds of freshwater turtles to flourish.
Many of the turtle species found in Hong Kong were formerly common in other Asian countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, and mainland China, but poaching has severely reduced their numbers to the point where some species are now only found in small numbers, mostly in Hong Kong, and others are now only found in the hundreds.
Sung keeps an eye on their nesting locations using a system of 40 security cameras connected to his phone. Previously, he would have observed 10 poaching incidents annually, but in February 2023 alone, he only saw six.
“On a recent trip, I saw evidence of illicit turtle hunting in every stream I went to. We discovered traps, or at least we know where the turtles ought to be,” Sung added.
A population that he is working to protect includes the Golden Coin Turtle, a species that was originally revered for its medical properties and used to make turtle jelly but is now sought-after as an exotic pet. Its scarcity and peculiar appearance have further increased its value to poachers. In severe circumstances, buyers are ready to spend hundreds of thousands of US dollars because they view the golden stripes on their heads as an indication of affluence.
According to Sung, one of the last substantial communities left in the world, there are just about 100 believed to remain in Hong Kong.
