At Angkor Wildlife & Aquarium we recently rescued 4 Mekong snail-eating turtles. These turtles are native to Cambodia and are protected by law. These animals were handed over to AWA after being collected for merit release. The practice of merit release is very harmful to wildlife although falsely believed to give good karma with up to 90% of animals dying. Paying money for this practice also allows more animals to be stolen from the wild. Please do not purchase any wild animals from sellers. After they were assessed as healthy, they were quickly released back to the wild.
The Mekong snail-eating turtle Malayemys Subtrijuga lives in small rivers, ponds and flooded areas in Cambodia. As its name suggests, it hunts for aquatic snails and other freshwater invertebrates. It is the most traded turtle in Cambodia, often sold as food. Please do not purchase any wild animal for food, not only is it bad for the environment but they often carry dangerous diseases.
