Recently, through no fault of our own, we became the caretakers of four tiny little turtles. They weren’t eating, so we turned to Google for a little help. We stumbled upon an article on the recent discovery of a Rafetus Swinhoei, more commonly known as a Yangtze giant soft-shelled turtle, arguably the most endangered species on earth. For years, there had been rumors of this legendary creature cruising lakes west of Hanoi; legend has become reality. The article also mentioned that the only other known specimens were recently united in the Suzhou Zoo (which we reported on a few months back). And then there were three…
Anyhow, the above is a roundabout way of addressing a coincidence. We went to check out the West Garden Temple. This temple, with a history of over 600 years, is well known for two things: its unique architecture and the Life Releasing Pond. The pond is where people are encouraged to set free any captured aquatic life. During our stroll around the pond, we encountered a monk and inquired about setting our turtles free. As we sheltered beneath umbrellas, he gave us permission but warned that there were already two giant soft-shelled turtles inhabiting the lake, “They might be eaten.” He went on to say that they were over four-hundred years old. At that point we had circled the pond to a place with two life-sized statues of the turtles. He said these were their likenesses. “It is considered lucky to catch a glimpse of them; I haven’t seen them for almost two years,” he admitted. You know where this is going. These statues perfectly resembled the photo that we had seen online of the one found in Vietnam. Could it be? Are there five? The turtle that was recently sent here from the Changsha Zoo had gone unnoticed for five decades. Can there have been two Rafetus Swinhoei living in Xiyuan for centuries? Hmmm? Have to get back to you on this.
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