Rediscovery
Near the northern shore of Hoan Kiem Lake lies Jade Island, on which the Temple of the Jade Mountain is located. On June 2, 1967, a Hoan Kiem turtle died from injuries caused by an abusive fisherman that was ordered to net the turtle and carry it, but instead hit the turtle with a crowbar. The turtle's body was preserved and placed on display in the temple. That particular specimen weighed 200 kg (440 lbs) and measured 1.9 metres long (6 ft 3in). Until that time, no one was sure if the species still lived.
On March 24, 1998 an amateur cameraman caught the creature on video, conclusively proving the elusive creatures still survived in the lake. Prior to its recent rediscovery, the turtles were thought to be only a legend and were classified as cryptozoological.
In 2000, professor Ha Dinh Duc gave the Hoan Kiem turtle the scientific name Rafetus leloii.
Presently, if leloii is considered to be identical to swinhoei, there are four living individuals. Three turtles are in captivity, two of them in Chinese zoos and another in Dong Mo (which appears to be a swinhoei), while the fourth being the controversial specimen in Hoan Kiem lake.
By the Spring of 2011, concerned with the Hoan Kiem specimen's more frequent than usual surfacing, and apparent lesions on its body, the city authorities started attempts to capture the giant reptile of Hoam Kiem Lake, and take it for medical treatment. On February 9, a local turtle farm operator, KAT Group, was chosen to prepare a suitable net to capture the sacred animal. The first attempt, on March 8, 2011 failed, as the turtle made a hole in the net with which the workers tried to capture it, and escaped. An expert commented, "It's hard to catch a large, very large soft-shell turtle." On March 31, in an unusual act, the turtle went to the shore to bask in the sun. Finally, on April 3, 2011 the giant turtle was netted in an operation that involved members of the Vietnamese military. The captured creature was put into an enclosure constructed on an island in the middle of the lake, for study and treatment. According to the scientists involved, the turtle was determined to be female, and genetic research suggested it was distinct from the swinhoei turtles in China, and Dong Mo in Vietnam.
Some witnesses believe there are at least two or three turtles living in Hoan Kiem Lake and that the "smaller" one appears more regularly. Duc is critical of these suggestions.
Read more about this topic: Hoan Kiem Turtle