A group of Peruvian students teamed up with the indigenous community Ashaninka El Naranjal to release over 160 yellow spotted river turtle hatchlings into the wild.

The project 'Tarica Lovers' is a significant step towards the preservation of the vulnerable taricaya species, which has faced a dramatic population decline due to intensive hunting for meat and eggs, as well as natural predators.

It was was organized by Amazon indigenous communities, Innova School and National Service of Natural Areas Protected (SERNANP).

The project reports that since its creation in 2022, more than 500 hatchlings have been born and released, and 468 eggs incubated with a 91% hatching success rate.

The Yellow-spotted river turtle (Podocnemis unifilis), known in Peru as Taricaya turtle, is currently listed as "Vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. - Report from Reuters