The Yangtze giant softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) is on the brink of extinction. The last known female of the species has died. Now, there are only three known males left in the world, and the future for this species looks bleak.
The female turtle underwent a fifth artificial insemination trial with a male at the Suzhou Zoo in Suzhou, China, reports BBC News. She died just 24 hours later.
The team was able to collect and store her ovarian tissue in liquid nitrogen for possible future research.
The female softshell turtle came from the Changsha Zoo in Muyun, Changsha, Hunan, China. She was over 90 years old. The surviving male turtle at Suzhou Zoo is believed to be around 100 years old.
According to CNN, the other two Yangtze giant softshell turtles live in the wild in Vietnam, but their genders are unknown.
The giant turtle has suffered from overfishing, hunting, and habitat loss, which has contributed to its dwindling numbers.
We must work to raise awareness for amazing creatures like the Yangtze giant softshell turtle and advocate for stronger hunting and fishing regulations to ensure their lives and homes are protected. Without concentrated effort, another beautiful species on our earth may be lost forever.
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Doesn’t surprise me…disgusting old China has to kill kill kill torture torture torture …..they are unbelievable destroyers of everything!!! Control your animal abusers and killers China! stop persecuting animals
How many lost species will it take until people realize we must change our habits, must curb our daily contribution to trash and pollution. must take the blindfold off on our short-sightedness for immediate gain (oil production in Canada for example),
Very sad day for the entire Planet earth. Each & every species on earth is matters for the existence of this world. But when the species keep losing and gone for ever from the planet earth means their contribution to the planet has equally lost. OMG when are these subhumans stop destroying the Animals while murdering them, for the palate pleasure or designer fashion reasons etc.
THESE ANIMALS ARE CONTRIBUTION TOT HE PLANET EARTHS EXISTENCE WAY MORE THAN SOME HUMANS DO. PLEASE PROTECT THE WILD ANIMALS TO SAVE THE PLANET.
Humankind is the most evil and not only destroys its own species because of different races but also against different animals they unkind and torture or eat them…
We MUST PROTECT our turtles — our planet depends on it — moreover, they have every RIGHT to live.
So sad ! I am going to pray that somewhere in the world there is a female Yangtze turtle. We must take care that no animal get extinct.
I’m perfectly fine with the HUMAN species going extinct. That is the ONLY chance the animals on this planet have.
And so man is in the process of ruin in order to eradicate everything that is not human!
I can just imagine the hell she went through during that artificial insemination procedure that made her die a day later. I’d say that if ever another female is found, get her & any males the hell out of China & give them a chance in a North American sanctuary. No animal stands a chance in that country. These turtles are the first of many species to follow that they have tortured & slaughtered to extinction.
I totally agree with you. CHINA will NOT be satisfied until it has exterminated every species that can walk, swim, fly or crawl. They have absolutely NO compassion, NO decency, NO empathy, NO integrity and NO moral ethics whatsoever. They probably want to breed this turtle so they can use it for their bogus, hocus-pocus medicines or to torture it (they chop turtles up, fully conscious, and take off the shells!!!) before they eat it.
I know Irene — the torture they put animals through is totally unthinkable. They’re a cruel, blood thirsty sub-human species. And I agree — the only reason they’d want to keep this turtle going is so that they can continue to torture, chop & live-gut it. I’d like every living creature exported out of that hell hole of a country & let their species slowly die due to lack of animals & the necessary functioning eco-system to keep the creeps alive — a beautiful death of suffering & starvation & pain for them…..how fitting..
Killing them and destroying their environment on one side, and artificial insemination (a product of vivisection) on the other. It seems that people can’t get it right at either end.