A mass release of baby river turtles into the same Peruvian jungle where the species lives has been organised by researchers for the first time. The endangered freshwater turtles are believed to be endangered and were previously found in such small numbers they were subject to capture and cruel treatment by traders.
In August, more than 3,000 turtles were released in the Sacred Valley in a large leap forward in conservation efforts.
Now, the Amazon turtle conservation project has joined forces with the Peruvian environmental agency to ensure future releases are safe and successful.
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Many of the latest turtles were found trapped in plastic rubbish on floating reefs.
“This is a very special day, we know the release of the turtles they had to be rescued on top of the Atlantic, and the turtles that were trapped on trash inside the reef,” said Vanessa Sanchez , Peruvian Union del Tule, who helped release the turtles.
It is thought a global warming may be putting more turtles into certain parts of the Amazon basin as temperatures rise.
Animals such as turtles, civets and fish, which could be suffering from climate change, are highly sensitive to changes in temperature, according to scientists who monitor the turtle population.
“These fish and the population that depend on them for food are at high risk from high temperatures,” said Andrés Velázquez de Vázquez, director of environmental protection in the Sacred Valley.
All the turtles released at this month’s release were male, the organisation said.