SAN JOSE DE LUPUNA, Peru, Nov 15 (Reuters) - In the Peruvian Amazon, an extended heat wave and drought have shortened the incubation period for thousands of turtle hatchlings released into the river by biologists as part of a local environmental program.
Around 3,200 yellow-spotted Amazon river turtles, known locally as taricayas, were freed as part of a plan to repopulate the species, which is threatened by hunting.
[1/3]River turtles sit in a plastic basin before being released into a river in the Peruvian Amazon, in San Jose de Lupuna, Peru, November 14, 2023.
But over the past two decades, more than 19,700 square kilometers (7,600 square miles) of the Peruvian Amazon have been destroyed, according to government data.
This year we're releasing 3,200 taricayas, bringing us up to 23,000 released (as part of the program)," Pipa said.
Persons:
We've, Zabryna Pipa, San Jose de Lupuna, Alfredo Galarza, El, Pipa, Marco Aquino, Kylie Madry, Sandra Maler
Organizations:
JOSE, LUPUNA, Amarumayu, REUTERS, Thomson
Locations:
Peru, Peruvian, Brazil, San Jose