Scientists from around the world are jittering with anticipation as the second attempt to revive these Yangtze soft-shelled turtles from extinction begins. The last known female, at 81 years of age was discovered in a run-down zoo in China. She is half-way through her life, and when a group of specialized scientists examined her, they found that she was still fertile.

            Now, this is the only chance we have of bringing back this majestic species. The Suzhou Zoo mated this last female with a 101 year old male, twice her size last year. She laid eggs, and half of them were promising, but died later in development. Now, they are trying again, and have received their next clutch of eggs with a new strategy.

“There’s four left in the world and only one of them is female. You can’t get much more endangered than that without being hopeless. You can’t get more critical.” Stated Paul Calle, the director of zoological health.

            We all have our fingers crossed. Bringing back this species into the will once more will take time, but the zookeepers are determined. This turtle was prized in China for food, and medicines. Pollution, and habitat damage also contributed to their downfall.

Image via Wikipedia