Death of Vietnam’s beloved sacred turtle seen as bad omen for communist leadership handover
A sacred giant turtle venerated as a symbol of Vietnam’s independence struggle has died, state media said, prompting an outpouring of grief and fears the death bodes ill for an upcoming communist leadership handover.
The reptile, a critically endangered swinhoe softshell turtle, occupies a key mythological role in Vietnam – in the past the turtle generally surfaced only rarely, with its sightings deemed auspicious.
Experts say it was one of only four turtles – better known as Yangtze giant softshells – in existence. Two are in a zoo China and the other lives in a different lake in Hanoi.
It was found dead in Hoan Kiem lake in central Hanoi late on Tuesday, the state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper said.
The turtle, which weighed about 200kg, was said to be anywhere between 80 and more than 100 years old.
I feel empty. My children, grandchildren will only know the turtle from legend
It was “possibly the rarest species on the planet and definitely the rarest turtle species ... It’s a great blow”, to have lost it, Tim McCormack of the Asian Turtle Programme, said.