Pic : turtles in some pagoda in Vietnam

[ruanda]

It's good to see so many different turtles and tortoises! For that, thanks for sharing! I specially like the four-eyed turtle!

(But really I don't think they are in a good "space", at least substrate and lighting is not well. And I think food is not the right one for each species ...I wish I could be wrong...)

 

[ian_zhang]

hey guys
I just got my new Leaf Turtle, a female turtle. She's quite dirty, and aggressive too but I just love her. An old man in pagoda ( he's friend of my mom ) gives me, I been keeping her for a week. and she fed with meat, You know, I often use the chopsticks to feed her, and she bites both the chopsticks and meat without showing any panic gesture
here's she

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you can try guessing her size by comparing to my hand

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[Yvonne G]

That's a really pretty turtle, Ian.

Yvonne

 

[kevantheman35]

beautiful leaf turtle ian. what do you have her set up in?

 

[terryo]

She is beautiful Ian...good luck with her.

 

[dmmj]

well I now know I cant visit there beacause I will prob try and walk away with all those turtles and torts.Those are some awesome pics BTW, but also very sad to see them mistreated like that different cultures aside it is still worng to treat animals like that, but I dont condemn them for doing it just is sad. A question or two? can people take animals away from there, or is it not considered good luck to take the animals away from there? at least peope are trying to help. I know some may not like this suggestiuon but can anything be doen to improve these guys plight? I dont want to stop there traditions and such vut coulf they be released somewhere else? or does it have to be in the pagoda? I have like a milion more questions but all in all very interesting pics and quite good quality for cell phone pics too. thanks for listening to my ranting and raving and keep those pics coming, no censhorship please by removing the thread. Like I said I would prob walk away with all those guys and rehome them in the US. Imagine trying to go thru customs with like a 1000 turtles? anythign to declare? lol

 

[ian_zhang]

@ dmmj
Because of having the same thoughts to yours, so I have had the feeling like doing some things unethical. I still treating my turtles good, but posting the pics to public without giving any help to them really makes me sad ( actually, it makes me obsessed )
I have hidden away from this wonderful forum for a while. Just signing in back today, i recognize that it had been 10 months from the last sign-in. I still keeping the web in my address bar, 'cause i know someday I will be back

Still being sad to see them mistreated like that, but the fact is I can do nothing :-< In Vietnam ( and some regions around Vietnam too ), that's more than tradition, that's culture. In Beijing , people still eating dog meat. In Spain, bullfighting still attracting million of people. The world is basically cruel and unfair. So in stead of crying for them, why don't us continue enjoying our own life.
I decide to return not to rant or rave either, but to post some pics of a giant soft turtle which I had mentioned before ( nearly a year ago :| )
Everypic is over 3mb. I took those with a 8.0mpx camera, it will take time to load, and about the date in the pics, it dues to technical fault :|

I estimate its over 60kg and bigger than the table which i putting the laptop on ( it measured 60cm x 90cm )
You can look at the yellow leaf to evaluate

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In these time, I been travelling and thinking a lot, and finally have some quite appropriate answers for the animals ( reptiles ) mistreating.
Being jailed and spend the rest of life in a small cage is definitely a pitiless punishment for tortoises. But at least, they are still fed,and their existence remain the hope for the Buddhist ( who had made the wishes and " released " them into the cage ). Hope is a important factor in our life , right ?
Someone had said " I would rather to be a turtle soup than suffer that ". But have you imagined what it would look like ? Being a " turtle soup " ?? :-< You can check the web below to see, but i recommend you not to do it
http://club.comment2.news.sohu.com/r-zz0057-1783840-0-0-0.html
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The poor soft turtle in that web is a bit smaller than the one in the pics, but still a giant one Hope the one who eat it will choke to death :-L
One of the pagodas I mentioned will be destroyed due to a road construction ( next months i think ). So, the tortoises would be moved to another pagodas. Thank to the good relationship with the people, I can take as many of them as I want :| ( anyway, they will soon belong to the others pagoda )
So my priority will be someones which are big and rare . I know, I know " everyone is equal in front of the law ", but giving a good life for the endangered subspecies is prioritized than red ear sliders ( actually ,Box and Leaf turtles are not easy to be extinct. I just hate RES )
There're 3 box turtles which are quite big

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ehheehee

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Especially, This one is over 2kg, maybe 3 :-o I didn't really want to take such a big one home, but leaving it here would attract the thief, they steal it for selling or even eating :-< . The neighbors all know there are lots of turtles in this pagoda
So.. here are turtles I took away. Including 2 box turtles wasn't in the pic.

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I just kept 1 for myself , and here it is. Initially, I didn't plane to keep anyone, but when I held it, it gave me a superb naive look ( Just like the cat in Shrek )

There is a dozen of tiny RES, but i can not keep all of them, and I don't have enough friends to give either

( the limit is 10pics in 1 post, so I have to separate into 2 post)

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Ian:

Thank you so much for posting the pictures. I'm glad that you were able to rescue the few turtles from the pagoda. Even though we don't like seeing them all piled up on each other and we think they're not taken care of properly, its a much better life for them than being cut up alive for food. And its always educational to see them in other lands. I, for one, really appreciate that you have taken the time to post the pictures here for our education.

We've missed seeing you post here the past few months and I'm glad you've come back.

Yvonne

 

[chadk]

Wow..Thank you for sharing with us..I had no idea...I love you picture taking, I feel like I'm a visitor myself...

Yes its sad how animals are treated...if only we all were vegetarians and treated animals as our equals on this planet..

Hmmm. Animals eath eachother all the time. Many would eat you if you were small enough they could catch you It is called the 'circle of life'. Without that, things would get incredibly out of balance.

If you are serious about treating them as equals, you should start by letting your 'pets' go wild. Owning another creature is not exactly treating is as an equal. In some cultures, owning a pet is considered cruel.

I do appreciate the pics and the education, but do find it sad at the same time.