SYDNEY, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- A breeding program to save one of Australia's rarest and most unique animals is now underway in the State of New South Wales.
Officially declared endangered in 2017, the Manning River helmeted turtle is only found in one particular stretch of the mid-north coast's Manning River system.
Identifiable by its distinct yellow markings, the freshwater amphibian is one few species in the world that have such a limited range.
"There's three endemic turtles in NSW that are found nowhere else on Earth, and only live in their own river system," Australian Reptile Park general manager and head of conservation, Tim Faulkner explained to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Friday.
"The Manning River turtle is one, the Bellinger River turtle is second, and the third is the Bell's turtle, over in the McDonald River and Namoi (River) and again very range restricted," he said, adding that all three are endangered.
With predators, habitat loss and lack of genetic diversity all posing a huge risk for those species, the Australian Reptile Park, Aussie Ark, and the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage have teamed up to protect and secure the animal's future.
"The Bellinger River turtle got whacked with a disease, it knocked out every single adult turtle in that river, there's 150 less now on this Earth," Faulkner said.
"Even without that disease they were on a trajectory to be extinct within 20 years and the Manning River turtle is probably the same."
In order to make sure it does not happen, a breeding facility is being developed at the Australian Reptile Park as an insurance policy for the creatures, Faulkner said.
"Turtles are relatively easy to keep, easy to breed, we can then re-release back to the river to areas they were formally found in the hundreds," Faulkner said.
"We kick into gear this year with the first 10 -- we get a successful campaign up over the next couple of weeks, with great community support, then we get some turtles in November, they will probably be juvenile and take a year to grow up, and then we start breeding."
