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A bale of Arakan forest turtles — a critically <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/environment/endangered-species" target="_blank" rel="noopener">endangered species</a> — were welcomed to the world recently at an aquarium in Tennessee. The Tennessee Aquarium in <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/us-regions/southeast/tennessee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chattanooga, Tennessee,</a> announced the arrival of seven hatchlings. The aquarium put out a press release with the good news and shared that it’s rare for all seven of the eggs that were laid to fully emerge. <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/rare-animals-arrival-will-help-reveal-secrets-of-one-of-least-known-species-on-the-planet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RARE ANIMAL'S ARRIVAL WILL HELP REVEAL SECRETS ‘OF ONE OF LEAST-KNOWN SPECIES ON THE PLANET’</a>Aquarium herpetology coordinator Bill Hughes said that the emergency of all seven of the laid eggs was "really great.""Every individual that hatches is a small victory because it’s one more in the population in human care when their population in the wild is declining," he said in the press release. The aquarium said the <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/science/wild-nature" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arakan forest turtles</a> are endangered due to habitat destruction in Myanmar and Bangladesh and the "unwelcomed attention of illegal traffickers supplying the pet trade and food markets."<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/exotic-animals-across-america" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WHERE TO HAVE UP-CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH EXOTIC ANIMALS ACROSS AMERICA</a>The turtles’ population has decreased 80% over the last 75 years, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The new arrivals in Tennessee are considered the largest group of Arakan forest turtles ever to hatch at a facility accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), according to the Tennessee Aquarium. The aquarium said that these turtles can only be found at six facilities nationwide due to their rarity. This isn’t the first time the Tennessee Aquarium has stuck gold with birthing new Arakan forest turtles.<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/rare-two-headed-snake-undergoes-surgery-missouri" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RARE TWO-HEADED SNAKE UNDERGOES SURGERY IN MISSOURI</a>Last year, the aquarium welcomed its first-ever Arakans — two turtles that emerged from six eggs that were laid. In the last year alone, the Tennessee Aquarium said that the population of Arakan forest turtles in AZA facilities like its own has increased by 27%. Hughes said that "having a viable population spread across zoos and aquariums is important."He added, "Then, if something happened to the last few in the wild, they wouldn’t totally be extinct."<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/newsletters?cmpid=fnfirstnl" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER</a>Hughes said he hopes to hatch enough new Arakans to get a surplus and distribute some to other zoos in an effort to eliminate the risk of endangerment. The rare turtles will be available for viewing by visitors to the aquarium soon, it said. The species is known to live in mountainous evergreen and bamboo forests. The turtles typically eat vegetation, bamboo flowers and immature bamboo seeds, according to the Turtle Survival Alliance."Camouflaged by its dark brown skin and dark brown to tan carapace, this turtle seamlessly blends into the leafy forest floor it traverses," said the same organization. "This turtle has been observed burrowing under leaves during the hottest parts of the day, and is largely active at night."Fox News Digital reached out to the Tennessee Aquarium for additional comment and updates. <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle</a><a rel="noopener noreferrer">.</a>

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--- !ruby/object:Feedjira::Parser::RSSEntry
published: 2024-04-01 15:58:27.000000000 Z
entry_id: !ruby/object:Feedjira::Parser::GloballyUniqueIdentifier
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 guid: https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/tennessee-aquarium-welcomes-7-baby-turtles-endangered-wilderness-experts-small-victory
title: Tennessee aquarium welcomes 7 baby turtles endangered in wilderness, experts
 call it a 'small victory’
categories:
- 821395f5-494c-59a8-8a48-aff458c160c8
- fnc
- Fox News
- fox-news/lifestyle
- fox-news/science/wild-nature
- fox-news/world/environment/endangered-species
- fox-news/us/environment/endangered-species
- fox-news/us/us-regions/southeast/tennessee
- fox-news/science/wild-nature/reptiles
- fox-news/lifestyle
- article
content: A bale of Arakan forest turtles — a critically <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/environment/endangered-species"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">endangered species</a> — were welcomed to the world
 recently at an aquarium in Tennessee. The Tennessee Aquarium in <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/us-regions/southeast/tennessee"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chattanooga, Tennessee,</a> announced the arrival
 of seven hatchlings. The aquarium put out a press release with the good news
 and shared that it’s rare for all seven of the eggs that were laid to fully emerge. <a
 href="https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/rare-animals-arrival-will-help-reveal-secrets-of-one-of-least-known-species-on-the-planet"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">RARE ANIMAL'S ARRIVAL WILL HELP REVEAL SECRETS
 ‘OF ONE OF LEAST-KNOWN SPECIES ON THE PLANET’</a>Aquarium herpetology
 coordinator Bill Hughes said that the emergency of all seven of the laid eggs was
 "really great.""Every individual that hatches is a small victory because
 it’s one more in the population in human care when their population in the wild
 is declining," he said in the press release. The aquarium said the <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/science/wild-nature"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arakan forest turtles</a> are endangered due to habitat
 destruction in Myanmar and Bangladesh and the "unwelcomed attention of illegal traffickers
 supplying the pet trade and food markets."<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/exotic-animals-across-america"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">WHERE TO HAVE UP-CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH EXOTIC
 ANIMALS ACROSS AMERICA</a>The turtles’ population has decreased
 80% over the last 75 years, according to the International Union for Conservation
 of Nature. The new arrivals in Tennessee are considered the largest group
 of Arakan forest turtles ever to hatch at a facility accredited by the Association
 of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), according to the Tennessee Aquarium. The aquarium
 said that these turtles can only be found at six facilities nationwide due to their
 rarity. This isn’t the first time the Tennessee Aquarium has stuck gold with
 birthing new Arakan forest turtles.<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/rare-two-headed-snake-undergoes-surgery-missouri"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">RARE TWO-HEADED SNAKE UNDERGOES SURGERY IN
 MISSOURI</a>Last year, the aquarium welcomed its first-ever Arakans
 — two turtles that emerged from six eggs that were laid. In the last year
 alone, the Tennessee Aquarium said that the population of Arakan forest turtles
 in AZA facilities like its own has increased by 27%. Hughes said that "having
 a viable population spread across zoos and aquariums is important."He added,
 "Then, if something happened to the last few in the wild, they wouldn’t totally
 be extinct."<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/newsletters?cmpid=fnfirstnl"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR
 LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER</a>Hughes said he hopes to hatch enough
 new Arakans to get a surplus and distribute some to other zoos in an effort to eliminate
 the risk of endangerment. The rare turtles will be available for viewing
 by visitors to the aquarium soon, it said. The species is known to live in
 mountainous evergreen and bamboo forests. The turtles typically eat vegetation,
 bamboo flowers and immature bamboo seeds, according to the Turtle Survival Alliance."Camouflaged
 by its dark brown skin and dark brown to tan carapace, this turtle seamlessly blends
 into the leafy forest floor it traverses," said the same organization. "This turtle
 has been observed burrowing under leaves during the hottest parts of the day, and
 is largely active at night."Fox News Digital reached out to the Tennessee
 Aquarium for additional comment and updates. <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">For more Lifestyle articles,
 visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle</a><a rel="noopener noreferrer">.</a>
summary: A Tennessee aquarium watched as seven endangered turtles recently hatched
 at their facility. The Arakan forest turtles are considered critically endangered.
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url: https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/tennessee-aquarium-welcomes-7-baby-turtles-endangered-wilderness-experts-small-victory
carlessian_info:
 news_filer_version: 2
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image: https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/04/931/523/meet-the-seven-1161625.jpg?ve=1&tl=1

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