Thousands of rare forest turtles have been rescued from horrifying conditions of captivity in the Philippines, saving the critically endangered animals from possible extinction, wildlife experts said Wednesday. More than 4,000 live freshwater turtles and 90 dead ones were found in a pond inside a remote warehouse on the western island of Palawan four weeks ago in one of the country’s biggest wildlife rescues, they said. They included 3,831 Palawan forest turtles, a critically endangered species found only on the north of the large island, as well as 160 Asian leaf turtles and 25 Southeast Asian box turtles.

4,000 rare turtles rescued from captivity in Palawan. (2015, July 16). Manila Standard, p. A7.