With the assistance of the Lao Conservation Trust for Wildlife, an endangered Indotestudo elongata baby tortoise hatched in captivity in Laos for the first time this year.
Indotestudo elongata, or the yellow-headed tortoise, is a species of tortoise found in Southeast Asia and parts of the Indian Subcontinent, particularly Northeast India, according to Thai National Parks.
This critically endangered species lives in a variety of forest types, including wet, evergreen forests and dry, deciduous forests.
Its diet consists of a wide range of vegetables and edible leaves, as well as snails, eggs, and other invertebrates.
The tortoise is endangered, is on the list of protected animals, and is in danger of extinction in Laos.
The Lao Conservation Trust for Wildlife hopes to breed and rear this species before releasing the animals to their natural habitats in order to contribute to the creature’s wild population.
The Lao Conservation Trust for Wildlife museum’s natural history section is open to the public and houses a young Indotestudo elongata.
