Dated 4th September 2014 – This morning, 43 individuals of endangered wildlife were successfully released to Dong Nai Culture and Nature Reserve, Dong Nai Province by Wildlife At Risk (WAR) in cooperation with Ho Chi Minh City Forest Protection Department. These wildlife that weighed over 82 kg total included seven individuals of Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), four individuals of Oriental Rat Snake (Ptyas mucosus), one individual of Water Monitor (Varanus salvator), nine individuals of Orange-headed Temple Turtle (Heosemys grandis), 18 individuals of Elongated Tortoise (Indotestudo elongate), two individuals of Burmese Python (Python molusus) and two Sunbeam Snake (Xenopeltis unicolor). All of these wildlife were rescued and rehabilitated at Cu Chi Wildlife Rescue Station before being released.
Most of the wildlife was confiscated from illegal capture, trading or hunting by the Forest Protection Department and the City Environmental Police. Some of them were handed voluntarily by local people. In the wild, populations of those species are steadily declining. Burmese Python is categorised as CR (Critically Endangered), Elongated Tortoise is EN (Endangered) and Orange-headed Temple Turtle is VU (Vulnerable) in the Vietnam Red Book. These species are at the brink of extinction unless serious actions are applied to save them.