Conservation agencies have released one of the most endangered turtles — a Southern River Terrapin — back into the wild, with officials, conservationists, and local residents attending the release ceremony on January 16.

The release was first announced Monday by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the Cambodian Fisheries Administration and Wildlife Reserves Singapore. The 75-pound female turtle was released into the Sre Ambel River in Cambodia, outfitted with a satellite tracking tag, to allow researchers to monitor the turtle’s movements in the wild, according to a WCS press release.

The released turtle is one of only 200 Southern River Terrapins remaining in Cambodia, Indonesia and Malaysia, and only one of fewer than ten nesting females in the Sre Ambel River, according to estimates from PhysOrg.

Read the full story from RedOrbit.

Image Caption: This photo shows the release of the Southern River terrapin at a ceremony on the Sre Ambel River in Cambodia attended by representatives of WCS, Cambodia’s Fisheries Administration’s Conservation Department, the Singapore Embassy, and local officials. The turtle has been equipped with a satellite tag, which will allow WCS conservationists to track it. Credit: Eleanor Briggs

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts has launched a Sustainable Seafood Policy. The new policy, which includes the commitment to cease serving shark fin in all of its operated restaurants, as well as accepting new orders for shark fin products in banqueting, is with immediate effect.

Shangri-La also has plans to phase out blue fin tuna and Chilean sea bass in all its operated restaurants within the year.

In December 2010 the company initiated the process with the removal of shark fin products from its restaurant menus.

A wildly-coloured gecko, a fish that looks like a gherkin, and a monkey with an Elvis-like hairstyle are among the more than 200 new species discovered in the Greater Mekong region last year.

The area’s diversity is so astonishing that a new species is found every two days, but regional cooperation and decision-making must take centre stage to preserve its richness, the group added.

Read the full story from Reuters.

The Philippines Department of Agriculture is putting in 30 million Piso to restore the 2,000-year old Ifugao Rice Terraces, often described as the 8th Wonder of the World, to their former glory.

Batad Village & Rice Terraces in 1990 before typhoons and neglect destroyed sections of them. Photo by Chris Gow

The Ifugao Rice Terraces are considered an UNESCO World Heritage site, and have been declared by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation as a Globally-Important Agricultural Heritage System.

Alcala said the P30 million is an initial amount, with P10 million coming from the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) for the repair of the damaged portions and the enhancement of the irrigation systems for the terraces in the village of Batad. The remainder will come from the National Rice Program for the reinforcement and upgrade of similar terraces in four other sites.

These include the picturesque Banaue rice terraces that can be seen at the Danara Viewpoint and the terraces in Mayoyao, Hapao and Kiangan.

Full story by MARVYN N. BENANING in the Manila Bulletin

The best way to explore the amazing rice terraces of the Ifugao, Botoc and Kalinga tribes of the Philippines Cordillera is to make a trek from village to village, staying at small guest houses and as guests of local tribal families. Here’s how.

Bangkok’s second airport, Don Muang, has been closed due to floods causing a cancellation of many domestic flights.

The airport also houses the government’s recently established emergency Flood Relief Operations Center, and one of its terminals has been converted into an overcrowded shelter filled with tents for about 4,000 people who fled waterlogged homes.

Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, the country’s main international gateway, has yet to be affected by flooding and flights there were operating normally. Most of the city has been spared inundation so far.

Siem Reap – water levels are receding, weather is good and the flooding that was plaguing the old market area and Pub Street has gone and the roads are dry.
Access to all floating villages including Chong Kneas is not a problem.
Sambor Prei Kuk – its still problematic to visit this temple complex near Kompong Thom, though a private car can navigate the broken access road. The province remains the worst hit.
Phnom Penh – we’ve had some rain but the city remains dry and threat of flooding also receding.
Takeo & Phnom Da – the water levels are too high and the boat trip too uncomfortable for this trip to be included in any tours at the moment.

Cambodia’s Prime Minister, Hun Sen, yesterday announced that the Water Festival festivities scheduled for November 9 to 13 will be cancelled to preserve fund for the cleanup effort after this summer’s record floods.

The highlight of the annual Water Festival is the boat races that take place on the Tonle Sap River where it flows into the Mekong at Phnom Penh, the capital. However this year the rivers are lapping at the very tops of the river banks, and the fast flowing waters add an additional risk to the safety of race participants.

Full story in today’s Phnom Penh Post

AirAsia is to launch direct flights to Vietnam’s third largest city, Danang, from 16 December 2011. The airline will begin servicing the new route with four weekly flights departing from the LCC Terminal in Kuala Lumpur every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

To celebrate the launch, AirAsia is offering an all-in fare from RM69. Booking must be made before 12 October 2011 for travel between 16 December 2011 and 27 October 2012.

Danang is the entry point for visiting the ancient, World Heritage City of Hoi An, the white sand beach resorts of China Beach, and is only a couple of hours drive from the former capital of Hue.

Plan a holiday to Vietnam’s central coast – contact Symbiosis Custom Travel

Siem Reap Area.
The Siem Reap River, Old Market Area and Pub Street are now submerged in around 30 centimetres of slow moving water; it is safe to walk around the area though if you don’t mind getting wet! Travel by tuk tuk, van and larger vehicles is still possible.

Temples of Angkor
In the central Archaeological Park, Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, including Bayon, remain accessible, as is the Roulos Group on the outskirts of Siem Reap. Some of the smaller temples in the area are difficult to access and as of today, 26th of September, the following Temples are inaccessible: Ta Prohm, Banteay K’Dei and Neak Pean due to high water levels inside the compounds; there are also several roads that have been cut by flood waters.

Chong Kneas Floating Village on the Tonle Sap lake is currently inaccessible however there are alternative locations on the Tonle Sap lake that are still able to be visited.

Phnom Penh
There is currently no flooding in the capital, Phnom Penh

Over the past few days Siem Reap and surrounding provinces have experienced heavy rain and flooding in many areas, including the centre of the tourist town of Siem Reap.

Banteay Srey Temple and Kbal Spean have been blocked by floodwaters and will remain inaccessible for at least the next few days. A large number of tourists have been trapped by the rising waters but are safe on high ground; none of our clients have been affected

It is expected that The Siem Reap River, Old Market Area and Pub Street will experience some flooding over the coming days

We also expect the road to the Chong Kneas Floating Village to be affected and possibly closed in the next few days. There are alternative locations on the Tonle Sap lake that are still able to be visited.

There are currently no reports of major flooding around any of the main temples, however… yet!

Misool Eco Resort, the stunningly located dive resort in Indonesia’s southern Raja Ampat islands, has announced the opening of their new spa.

MER’s massage, body treatments, and beauty treatments feature Misool Eco Resort’s signature range of natural products, many of which are freshly created each morning in the resort’s own kitchen, using only top-quality ingredients and local organic products. Amongst these are scrubs, hand-blended from local ingredients such as candlenut and coconut, face toner derived from freshly pressed cucumber, body wraps using home-grown aloe plants and banana leaves from the island’s orchard, and scrubs made from Papuan highland coffee.  Spa treatments can be enjoyed in the privacy of your own room or at The Lookout.

Spa Manager, Juliette, is originally from the island of Ambon in eastern Indonesia. She has nearly 15 years of experience working in and managing spas. She has worked in settings as diverse as the Maldives, Malaysia, Bali, and Wakatobi.  

Hotel surrenders “back yard” bear – Safe rescue for “Sonny”

On Tuesday 6 September, Animals Asia Vietnam Director, Tuan, External Affairs Officer, Dr The and Bear Worker Tuan from the Vietnam Moon Bear Rescue Centre travelled to the central highlands of Vietnam to rescue a lone sun bear.

This young male had been kept by a hotel/resort complex in Pleiku City in Gia Lai Province, for the past six to eight years. The hotel owners received the bear when he was just a cub and believe he may originally have been smuggled from Cambodia.

The hotel decided to give up the bear – now nicknamed “Sonny” – because they felt they could no longer look after him as they had been and they were not prepared to improve his living conditions. Sonny was being kept in a barren, rusting cage placed on a heap of rough ground with little shelter from the elements.

Quite a calm bear, Sonny appeared to be in good health at the time of rescue.

Full story from AnimalsAsia

An 18kg Cantor's Soft Shell Turtle ready for release into the Mekong River in Kratie Province, Cambodia

The goal of the Mekong Turtle Conservation Centre (MTCC) is the long-term sustainable conservation of the wild population of one of the world’s rarest and largest fresh water turtles — the Cantor’s soft shell turtle, (Pelochelys cantorii) of which the largest known wild population survives in the nearby Mekong River.

Read the full story from Conservation International.

Since June of this year, the Mekong Turtle Conservation Centre has been open to visitors daily, for a small entrance fee. Another good reason to visit Kratie and Cambodia’s north east region.

The second Tour de Bintan, an endurance cycling event, will take place from 11 to 13 November 2011 on the Indonesia island of Bintan – just south of Singapore.

Set in the backdrop of picturesque Bintan, Indonesia, the Tour de Bintan is set to test the mettle of participants with challenging routes over three gruelling stages in two days covering a total distance of 265km.

800 cyclists are expected to take part this year against 500 last year. One of the most hotly contested categories will be Category 1, which will see the most serious and experienced teams from Singapore and all around the region vying for the total prize purse of Sin$10,000. The largest participation will be in Category 2 and Category 3 which are meant for competitive and passionate cyclists who are a level below Category 1. The competitive women cyclists will have their own category.

In addition, the event offers more seasonal and less advanced cyclists the opportunity to experience the Tour as part of the “Challenger” category, where it is all about completing each stage within set time limits. Cycling enthusiasts who just want a taste of the action can also decide to register for one stage only.

If you fancy taking part as a component of a longer visit to Indonesia, contact Symbiosis to start planning your trip today.

Three new bat species, one resembling the Lord of the Underworld, have been discovered in the tropical forests of southern Indochina.

The tiny ‘demon,’ named Beelzebub’s tube-nosed bat, has been seen only in Vietnam.

Full story by Daniette Venton here.