Associate
Professor, Doctor of Biology Ha Dinh Duc said that the ancient turtle in Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem lake
faced many risks. The biggest risk now is red-eared turtles.

Citing the
book “World Turtles” by Carl H. Ernst and Roger W. Barbour, published in 1989,
the famous expert on Hanoi
and the legendary turtle, said that most Vietnamese people don’t know about the
evil influence of red-eared turtles.

“When they
are small, they eat animals. When they get bigger, they eat plants. According
to my research, red-eared turtles have eaten the green algae in the Hoan Kiem
Lake. They have become
the biggest danger to the ancient turtle,” the expert said.

According
to Dr. Duc, Hoan Kiem Lake
had four old turtles in the past but only one is still alive. The turtle, one
of the four of its species? in the world, faces many risks. He currently has
many wounds, which were caused by fish-hooks and red-eared turtles.

Red-eared
turtles appeared in the historical lake in 1997, Duc said.

“In 2004,
Hoan Kiem district authorities invited me to a meeting about red-eared turtles.
At that time, I confirmed that this species was exotic animal and they must be
destroyed to protect the legendary turtle that is a thousand years old”.

He said
that Hoan Kiem district authorities reported to the Hanoi government about the exotic turtles  and asked the city to take measures to kill
them. However, the dangerous turtles are developing.

Duc said
that after eating out algae in the lake, they nibble the shell of the legendary
turtle.

“The latest
photos of the wounds of the ancient turtle which were published on some online
newspapers are the worst that I’ve seen in the past 20 years, since I’ve
researched the legendary turtle. The turtle is very old and weak. If his is not
protected, he may die any time,” he said.

Director of
the Hanoi Department of Science and Technology Le Xuan Rao said that the
department had submitted to the Hanoi
authorities the plan to kill red-earred turtles in the Hoan Kiem Lake. However, scientists have not found
measures to cure the wounds of the ancient turtle.

“This is a
sensitive issue so we need to conduct more research,” Rao said.

Experts
said that it is difficult to immediately kill red-eared turtles but Hanoi authorities need to
quickly protect the ancient turtle. If he dies, who will bear the responsibility?

The ancient
turtle in the Hoan
Kiem Lake
is one of the only four turtles of the giant turtle species in the world. The others
are living at another lake in Hanoi, named Dong Mo and the two  are caged in China.

The turtle
is famous for its rareness and its connection to the legend about the Hoan Kiem
Lake.

Hoan Kiem Lake (meaning “Lake of the Returned Sword”
or “Lake of the Restored Sword”), also known as Sword
Lake, is a lake in the historical
center of Hanoi.
The lake is one of the major scenic spots in the city and serves as a focal
point for its public life.

According
to the legend, emperor Le Loi handed a magic sword called Heaven’s Will which
brought him victory in his revolt against the Chinese Ming Dynasty back to the
Golden Turtle God (Kim Qui) in the lake and hence gave it its present name (the
lake was formerly known as “Luc Thuy” meaning “Green
Water”). The Tortoise
Tower (Thap Rùa) standing
on a small island near the center of lake is linked to the legend.

PV