It was designated as Cambodia’s National Reptile by Royal Decree in March 2005. Royal Turtle is reptile that represents of Khmer culture and also known as Arn Derk SorSai or Arn Derk Loung in Khmer, as well as the English name Royal Turtle and the scientific name Batagur baska. The rare turtles could breed after the local communities and the government put in dire conservation efforts to stop sand-dredging in its habitat in the Koh Kong province.

It has white eyes, straight up nose-shaped, 60 cm length black or grey shell, and only four toes which differ from general turtle with five toes as human. On Jan 10, 2020, our partners WCS Cambodia, the Department of Fisheries Conservation of Fisheries Administration, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, in collaboration with Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS), released 20 critically endangered … Some 23 rare royal turtles have hatched recently in southwestern Koh Kong province, the only place in Cambodia where the turtles can be found, including on a … Batagur affinis.

It is called the Royal Turtle by the local population because in the past, only the Cambodian royal family could eat its eggs. (Cantor, 1847) The southern river terrapin ( Batagur affinis) is a turtle of the family Geoemydidae found in Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia. At least 23 endangered “royal turtles” have successfully hatched in Cambodia, more than the number since the last 3 years combined. Binomial name. The turtle, also called the Southern River terrapin, is one of the 25 most endangered turtles in the world. Cambodia is home to several populations of endangered turtles, coveted as delicacies and traditional medicine in Vietnam and China. By WCS-Cambodia. Young adult Southern River Terrapins ( Batagur affinis ), or Royal Turtles, are released into Cambodia’s Sre Ambel River.