Unfortunately, the Amazon River turtle has faced an increasing number of threats, and most of them have to do with climate change. Human activity and the high demand for the turtle's meat and eggs are also affecting factors and have taken a toll on the turtle's ecosystem and survival.
“Today in the Guapore or Itenez River, we have a binational project for the protection and conservation of the species, especially the Amazon River turtle,” said Camila Ferrara, a technical supervisor, working for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in the region, to ABC News.
Biologists and volunteers released a million baby turtles into a river at the Amazon border separating Bolivia and Brazil to try and preserve the species. According to Reuters, the team has collected turtle nests on both sides of the river since 2007. Because of the increasing rate of floods in the area, turtle nests often get washed away, hence the efforts.
After gathering the turtles, the team cares for the unhatched eggs and young turtles before releasing them back into the river. In total, a million baby turtles have been released into the wild.
