Endangered turtles sent to U.S. for new life

Los Angeles, Oct. 20 (CNA) A total of 50 rare yellow- headed temple turtles arrived in the U.S. city of Atlanta Wednesday for new life through a cooperative effort by Eva Airways, the Taipei Zoo and the U.S.-based Turtle Survival Alliance, according to airline officials. The Eva Airways flight carrying the turtles left Hong Kong Oct. 19 for Atlanta via Taipei. The animals will be sent to the Turtle Survival Alliance, which will arrange for them to be distributed among various shelters around the country. The officials said after being notified of the rescue mission through the zoo's Conservation and Research Center, the carrier agreed to help transport the 600-kg cargo for only a nominal fee. The turtles were among a haul of 1,300 smuggled freshwater turtles that were seized by Hong Kong marine police in February. The yellow-headed temple turtle, the largest freshwater turtle in Asia, is an endangered species. Without the assistance of EVA Air, the turtles would have been destroyed in Hong Kong because their origin could not be identified, the officials said. (By Leaf Jiang and Olivia Wang) ENDITEM/J