Setiu Post

A male painted terrapin photographed by the Setiu River. Photo credit: P.N. Chen. Common name:  Painted terrapin Scientific name:   Batagur borneoensis Local Malaysian name:  Tuntung laut Conservation status : Listed as critically endangered in the 2009 IUCN Red List and in CITES Appendix I Adult female shell length:  40 – 55 cm Adult female body weight:  15 – 30 kg Food:  Adults are mainly herbivorous, feeding on fruits of the mangrove apple ( Sonneratia caseolaris ),  screw pine ( Pandanus  spp.) and rose apple ( Eugenia sp. ) as well as the leaves, fruits, flowers, stems and roots of selected riparian plants. Range:  Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia (Sumatra and Borneo) Nesting sites in Malaysia:  Terengganu Characteristics:  Upturned snout, five front claws, black patches on the carapace Sexual dimorphism:  Adult males are smaller than adult females. During the nesting season, the male’s head turns white a...

Post-nesting female river terrapin photographed by the nesting bank, Tebing Pasir Penarik in Setiu. Photo credit: P.N. Chen. Common name:  River terrapin Scientific name:   Batagur affinis Local Malaysian name:  Tuntung sungai Conservation status : Listed as critically endangered in the 2009 IUCN Red List and in CITES Appendix I Adult female shell length:  50 – 60 cm Adult female body weight:  15 – 35 kg Food:  Adults are mainly herbivorous, feeding on mangrove apple ( Sonneratia  sp.), sedges ( Scleria  sp.), screw pine ( Pandanus  sp.), Colocasia ( Ficus  sp.) and water hyacinth ( Eichornia crassipes ) Range:  Tidal portions of major rivers in Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Malaysia A male river terrapin during the nesting season. Photo credit: P.N. Chen. Nesting sites in Malaysia:  Terengganu (Terengganu, Dungun, Besut, Setiu-Chalok rivers), Kedah river systems, Perak river systems and Pahang river syst...

This project was initiated in 2004 when  Chan  was attached to Universiti Malaysia Terengganu. It is now continued under Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia. The objective of the Setiu River Terrapin Recovery Project is to rehabilitate the severely depleted population of river terrapins  (Batagur affinis)  in the Setiu River. Seed money for this project was awarded by the US-based  Turtle Conservation Fund  (TCF) and  Turtle Survival Alliance  (TSA). We take this opportunity to thank them for the grants and for maintaining a keen interest in the development of the project. The results of the various aspects of the project have been presented in international conferences in Beijing, Hong Kong, Stellenbosch (South Africa), San Diego, Tucson, Ohio (US) and Manaus (Brazil) and locally in Malaysia as well. The project involves the purchase of river terrapin eggs from local egg collectors, incubation of the eggs and head-starting...