The Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) is the most endangered turtle in the world. There are only four known specimens of the species that remain: three in captivity and one in the wild. Now conservation biologists are trying to bring the species back from the brink of extinction.

In a desperate move to save the species, a team of conservationists undertook a risky endeavor earlier this month. They transferred the last remaining female of the species from her home at the Changsha Zoo to the Suzhou Zoo, more than 600 miles away. When she arrived at Suzhou Zoo, she was paired with a male and now the hope is that the couple will breed. The risk of the journey (such moves are very stressful to turtles) was outweighed by the need to pair the turtles for breeding and potentially save the species from extinction.

The Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle is among Asia's largest softshell turtle species native to the southern parts of China. It range historically included the Yangtze River and Lake Taihu and extended into northern Vietnam's Red River. Recently, there have been reported sightings of the turtle along the Red River and small remnant populations may still exist there.

Throughout its range, the Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) population has suffered as a result of habitat destruction, and pollution. It has been over-harvested for Asian food markets and its carapace is valued for use in traditional medicine.

Find out more:

• China’s Turtles, Emblems of a Crisis (New York Times)
• Historic Relocation of Endangered Chinese Turtle (Turtle Survival Alliance)
• Giant Turtle Sightings Set Vietnam Capital Abuzz (CNN)
• Vietnam Expert Skeptical About Turtle Tale (Thanhnien News)
• In Search of Rafetus swinhoei (Turtle Conservation and Ecology Project)
• The World's Top 25 Most Endangered Turtles (World Chelonian Trust)

Photo © Gerald Kuchling / TSA. Conservationists trying to save the Yangtze giant softshell turtle from extinction hope that this female (basking beside the water's edge) will mate with the only known male of the species.