JERANTUT, May 23 — Over five decades ago, five to six female giant softshell turtles could be seen laying eggs daily — during the height of the nesting season in March and April — on the sandy banks of Sungai Tembeling in the Taman Negara area in Pahang.
However, throughout March and April this year, only seven of them were detected laying eggs, a clear indication that these reptiles from the Trionychidae family are dwindling in numbers in what could be their last habitat in Malaysia.
The giant softshell turtle, also known as resing or labi-labi gergasi air tawar, is a freshwater species that has been classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Besides Malaysia, it is also found in Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, with its habitats being rivers, estuaries, coastal brackish and marine waters, and lakes.
According to Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) researcher Mohd Ruzed Embong, besides the Taman Negara area, there is no recorded data of freshwater giant softshell turtles existing elsewhere in the country although some sightings have been reported by local communities.
He said seven active nesting sites have been identified along a 100-kilometre stretch of Sungai Tembeling but, “sadly, this time we didn’t see any egg intact … we found only remnants of their nests with eggshells scattered everywhere”.
Mohd Ruzed, a lecturer at UiTM Shah Alam’s Department of Parks and Amenities Management, told Bernama the giant softshell turtle’s declining population can be attributed to natural causes including predatory animals such as eagles and monitor lizards.
He said the situation is worsened by sand mining activities as well as humans who consume the eggs of the giant softshell turtle, which are considered a delicacy and said to be “tastier than normal turtle eggs”. Not only that, the flesh of the softshell turtle is also said to have medicinal value when consumed.
Concerned about the endangered reptile’s future, UiTM Shah Alam has set up a conservation centre here to breed giant softshell turtles, in collaboration with the residents of Kampung Gol in Tembeling Tengah near here, and the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia (Perhilitan).
The Kampung Gol Giant Softshell Turtle Conservation Centre is Malaysia’s first such facility. There are two others in Southeast Asia, one in Cambodia and the other in Vietnam.
Mohd Ruzed said it cost about RM90,000 to establish the centre, adding part of the funds came from the National Natural Resources Conservation Trust Fund and the remaining through a UiTM Bestari grant.
The centre, which started operating two years ago, is spread over an eight-hectare site and serves as a place for incubating giant softshell turtle eggs as well as a hatchery. It also conducts educational and awareness programmes to educate the public about the species.
— Bernama
