“I want to how the
villagers that as long as
we have live terrapins,
people will come, people
will pay, and this can be
self-sutaining”river terrapin
Common Name:
River Terrapin
Scientific Name:
Batagur affinisMalaysian Name:
Tuntung Sungai
Adult female shell
length: 47–60cm
Adult female body
weight: 15–35kg
Food: Mainly
herbivorous
Characteristics:
Upturned snout,
4 front claws,
5 back claws
Nesting season: Mid-
January to mid-March
No. of nests deposited
per idividual per
season: 1 (est)
No. of eggs per nest:
25 (average)
Incubation duration:
60–92 daysChen irst began her work in Pasir Gajah
in 2011. Calling themselves “Geng Tuntung”
(river terrapin guardians), ive local men
volunteered to help, and they stopped
eating terrapin eggs. Together with Chen,
the men camped at the riverbank at night
to observe terrapin nesting, and incubated
the eggs beside a volunteer’s house. Aware
of her outsider status, Chen also took pains
to mingle with the locals to gain their trust
and support. In 2017, the village commitee
ofered to build a gallery and nursery for
the society.
“I want to show the villagers that as
long as we have live terrapins, people will
come, people will pay, and this can be self-
sustaining,” says Chen. “My motivation
comes from people who buy pellets to feed
the terrapins, who adopt the terrapins.
When people see our work with school
children and want to sponsor a camp, they
keep me going.”
So far, Chen and her partners have
saved more than 4,500 river terrapin eggs
from human consumption and released
more than 2,700 hatchlings into the river.
She was recently given the prestigious
Commonwealth Points of Light award for
outstanding individual volunteer work. aghe lanky 35-year-old is right. As soon as
they are lowered into the water, the baby
reptiles quickly scrabble out of her hands.
Chen’s cheerfulness belies the challenges
she faces as the co-founder and executive
director of the Turtle Conservation Society
of Malaysia. Established in 2011, the society
protects and studies freshwater turtles in
Malaysia, including the critically endangered
southern river terrapin. In addition to
maintaining a turtle hatchery and nursery,
it also organises outreach programmes for
schools and the public.
he southern river terrapin (Batagur
ainis) was once found throughout
mainland Southeast Asia and Sumatera by
the thousands. Heavy exploitation for its
lesh and eggs, as well as habitat destruction
and sand mining, have severely undermined
the survival of this freshwater species. It is
estimated that as few as 500 adult terrapins
remain in the wild.
When Chen’s research uncovered some
200 terrapins in the Kemaman River,
she collaborated with the Department
of Wildlife and National Parks, as well as
people in the neighbouring villages, to begin
a research and conservation project.
LAW YAO-HUA is a freelance science writer based
in Malaysia. He writes about ecology, evolution and
health science for Science News, Science, Nature,
BBC Earth and The Scientist. He is a inalist for the
Medical Journalists’ Association UK Award 2018.