In Colombia, this animal is in critical danger of extinction, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
During border river control operations on the Arauca River, Colombian Navy troops managed to recover 43 Charapa turtles that had been abandoned, inside a sack, by unknown people. The animals were rescued and taken to a safe place, where a biologist from Corporinoquia evaluated their state of health and determined that it was safe to return them into their natural habitat.
The freshwater turtle or charapa, scientifically known as Podocnemis expansa, is the largest in South America and is found in the Amazon and Orinoquia basins in countries such as Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. In our country, they live in the basins of the Meta, Bita, Orinoco, Guainía, Inírida and Arauca rivers, according to the Omacha Foundation.
This animal in Colombia, due to the looting of its nests, its indiscriminate hunting, its illegal commercialization as pet, its use in prohibited arts and due to the degradation of its natural habitat, among other factors, is in critical danger of extinction, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The 43 recovered turtles were transferred by the military personnel of the Navy Infantry River Battalion No. 52, accompanied by of officials of the Regional Autonomous Corporation of the Orinoquia (Corporinoquia), to the Piquetierra nature reserve, where they were released and returned to their natural habitat, following all the protocols established for their protection.
Source: Press - Navy of Colombia
