A RARE Vietnamese turtle, one of just four believed left in the world, was swept away by a flood, taken hostage by an enterprising fisherman – and nearly ended up in a soup pot.
Instead, the 150lb animal returned to its lake yesterday, and conservationists celebrated their deal with the fisherman – the turtle's freedom in exchange for about £130 and two new nets.
Douglas Hendrie and other conservationists had been tryin
g to find the turtle for two weeks, after floods washed it out of Dong Mo Lake, near Hanoi.
"Thank God it's over," said Mr Hendrie, the director of the Asian Turtle Programme.
Only three other members of the Rafetus swinhoei species are known to exist – two are in Chinese zoos and another lives in Ho Hoan Kiem, a lake in Hanoi .
The fisherman, Nguyen Van Toan, found the turtle and demanded £920 in exchange for its release, arguing that a Hanoi restaurant owner had offered him more than £3,000 for it.
He argued with authorities and conservationists for hours before agreeing to cash and nets to replace those he ruined capturing the turtle.
"It's a small reward for people who realised it's important to protect one of the most endangered species in the world," said Nguyen Thi Van Anh, a colleague of Mr Hendrie's from Education for Nature.
The fisherman said he was satisfied with the outcome. "I'm very happy the turtle is returning to nature," he said.
