Giant turtle emerges from the depths in central Vietnam

• Rare turtle returned to sea after escaping dining table in Vietnam
• Fishermen rescue rare turtle in central Vietnam

A fisherman caught a giant turtle in his net in central Vietnam on Thursday.

Nguyen Van Cuong from Ha Tinh Province, which made headlines last year in the fallout of the infamous Formosa industrial disaster, said that the turtle weighed 60 kilograms (132 pounds) and was one meter (3.3 feet) in length.

Photo by VnExpress/Duc Hung

Cuong said it was the first time he had seen such a large turtle in his 50 years of fishing.

“The animal was very strong. It even destroyed our net and it took several people to get it into the boat,” he said.

As news spread, dozens of villagers flocked to get a glimpse of the rare turtle and take photos.

Tran Thanh Tuong, a local ranger, said that environment authorities had paid VND3 million ($132) for the animal and are preparing to release it back into the sea.

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