A rare and endangered turtle was saved by hunters from Loire-Atlantique

A European pond turtle, a small turtle whose species is “nearly threatened with extinction”, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), was saved by the Loire-Atlantique Hunters’ Federation, reports France Bleu Loire Océan.

The turtle with a flat shell and yellow-spotted skin was trapped in a swimming pool at the edge of the Goulaine marsh on Saturday morning. She was taken out of the water by hunters and released into the wild by Fabrice Cuchot, the mayor of Haute-Goulaine.

According to France Bleu Loire Océan, this turtle living in the marshes is so rare that it has been observed less than 10 times in the space of 100 years in the department. Its habitat is threatened by urbanization and the drying of wetlands in particular, which puts it in danger. The Ministry of Ecological Transition has therefore launched an action plan spanning 2020-2029 in order to conserve and protect the species.