The Problems of Mr. Heng and Mr. Hong

Battambang province, Cambodia - January 7-8, 2014 - My fiancee came home from the market with, of all things, two living Mekong snail-eating turtles, which she'd purchased for a dollar each out of pity. These animals are a protected species, illegal to eat in and export from Cambodia, but are none the less a delicacy in Battambang. They are quite rife in Thailand, but populations are decreasing in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. I investigated the animals being sold at the market, which included snakes, and then, after much deliberation and freaking out, decided to release them into a pond at the local wat, seeing it as the best option for the animals' survival (although still not great) and our consciences. Depositing the animals in a pagoda is a common form of merit-making all over the region. Animals rights organisations warn against this practice, as they believe that the animals die from overcompetition and starvation (see here). Suffice to say, Cambodian people don't believe this, except for maybe the monks who clean their corpses out of the ponds.

We despaired for time and choice. All the food we attempted to feed the turtles was in vein, and Neng (being unaware of the dangers) had already purchased them. Looking after them was not an option - there are not facilities for advanced pet-keeping in the Cambodian countryside, the turtles didn't have the time and we didn't have the money to order them from Phnom Penh. Researching their habitat, we could find no place where we knew they would be safe before they starved (the turtles had not eaten already in about 36 hours or more, we could see their shells starting to hollow from starvation). All suitable habitats we could find were filled with people, who would be able to see us and probably just catch the turtles again. So we decided to examine the local culture a little, found a pagoda that had some larger, relatively healthy-looking turtles, and gave them to the wat. They will surely face inadequate conditions, but at least they won't be hunted or traded. Oh, what a terrible moral dilemma these two glorious creatures put me in!

They are almost identical to the Malayan snail-eating turtles, and you can read interesting information about them here.

Mr Heng on the left, and Mr. Hong on the right. They both had distinct personalities. The stripes on their faces made it look like they were constantly furrowing their brows. Or maybe they were just actually pissed off because people had been passing them around and driving them on motor vehicles and displaying them in markets and what not.

At first, Mr. Heng the younger would not come out of his shell. Then he became very hyperactive, always moving, running and burrowing. Mr. Hong the elder was more resigned and placid. He liked to stay hidden/

Phsar Boeung Chouk (Boeung Chouk market).

There were two vendors selling turtles. This one also sold snakes.

Massive pile of snake offal.

The other vendor stocking snail-eating turtles.

Here you can see the way that snakes are usually prepared and sold pre-cooked (black coils in the middle of all the dried fish).

A stupa at Wat Au Sraom Bot Savong.

A slightly larger turtle we saw already in the pond.