Last known Rafetus swinhoei female dies, leaving rare turtle species effectively extinct

One of the rarest turtles in the world is now functionally extinct. The last known female Yangtze Giant Softshell River turtle, aka Rafetus swinhoei, aka Hoan Kiem turtle, has died, conservationist Forest Galante announced on Instagram.

The 205-lb turtle was found floating motionless by locals and conservationists in Dong Mo Lake in late April, according to Vietnamese state media. An autopsy to identify the cause of death is underway.

These giant turtles were once abundant in the Yangtze River, but due to habitat loss, pollution, overfishing, and illegal poaching, their numbers have drastically declined over the past century. Only 2 living males remain. One is in captivity in China’s Suzhou Zoo and the other in the wild in Hanoi’s Xuân Khanh Lake.

Until last month, there was still hope that the female could be bred with one of the remaining males and perhaps save the species. “It was a large female that obviously has great reproductive capacity. She could have potentially laid a hundred eggs or more a year” Tim McCormack, director of Asian Turtle Program, told Time Magazine.

McCormack remains hopeful that there may be another female Rafetus swinhoei somewhere out there in Dong Mo Lake. If there isn’t, conservation efforts to save the species from extinction will be unsuccessful, as one of the two remaining males appears to be impotent.

Barring a miracle find in the Yangtze or Hanoi rivers, the future of the species now depends on de-extinction organizations like Colossal Biosciences and San Diego’s Frozen Zoo, which use molecular genetics to bring animals back from extinction. Tissues samples from the recently diseased turtle have been collected in the hopes that the Giant Yangtze Softshell turtle may one day survive in the wild.