Critically endangered Burmese peacock softshell turtles hatch in Myanmar

Burmese peacock softshell turtles, a critically endangered species of turtles, have recently hatched from their eggs in Myanmar. According to a Saturday report by The New York Times (NYT), the hatchlings emerged from an underground hole earlier this month and began their journey to Indawgyi Lake, starting their new lives. Nyein Chan and U Yae Aung, local staff members of Fauna & Flora, an international wildlife charity, captured their first steps on film.

The report states that the turtles were intercepted by Chan, a senior project officer, Aung, a project assistant, and other team members who carefully weighed, measured, and released them.

The Burmese peacock turtles, also known as Nilssonia Formosa, are exclusively found in Myanmar, and little is known about them. U Zau Lunn, a program manager with Fauna & Flora, mentioned that there have been no proper studies conducted on these turtles. Lunn, whose team started working on turtle conservation last year, expressed great satisfaction in finding the eggs and hatchlings so quickly. He attributed this success to the close collaboration with the local residents of the villages around Indawgyi Lake. The NYT report highlights that the wildlife charity recently provided funds to lakeshore residents, forming a team of “turtle guardians” responsible for patrolling the area and safeguarding nesting sites.

Last October, community members and conservationists identified five turtle nests, each containing about 20 eggs, and secured them with fences. However, they were unaware of the species until the baby turtles began hatching in June of this year.

Despite the efforts of the turtle guardians to protect the eggs, the report emphasizes that the turtle species still face other threats, such as habitat loss, pollution, climate change, and accidental captures by fishermen. The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List reports that approximately 40 percent of all turtle and tortoise species are endangered. The total population of Burmese peacock softshell turtles is unknown, but scientists suspect a decline of at least 80 percent over the past 90 years.