Agence France-Presse/The Guardian
The death of a venerated turtle in Vietnam as led to an outpouring of national grief – and has unnerved communist rulers gathering in Hanoi for a rare party congress.
The turtle of Hoan Kiem, which weighed about 200kg and was said to be 80-100 years old. (Photograph: Vietnam News Agency/AFP/Getty Images)
So inauspicious was the timing of the giant reptile’s demise that state media removed initial coverage about the death, apparently under pressure from communist authorities.
Party members will meet in Hanoi for the next eight days for their five-yearly congress to choose new leaders amid a power battle between conservative and modernising factions.
But the passing of the popular turtle in the famous city center Hoan Kiem lake, was viewed by many as an alarming omen in a country that is officially atheist but also deeply superstitious.
Cu Rua may have been as old as 120 years, meaning it had lived in the lake since the 19th century, although many Vietnamese believed it was seven centuries old.
Only three other members of the critically endangered swinhoe softshell turtle – commonly known as the Yangtze giant softshell – are believed to exist in the world. One lives in another Hanoi lake and two are in China.
In Vietnamese folklore, a fabled turtle in the lake was the custodian of the magic sword with which 15th century hero Le Loi vanquished Chinese foes.
In recent decades, sightings were so rare that any appearance by Cu Rua at water level was considered a good sign.
But when he started to surface frequently five years ago, scientists realised that Cu Rua’s health was being harmed by the lake’s growing pollution and the invasion of its habitat by small, non-native turtles.
The public outcry prompted official efforts to clean the lake and nurse the reptile back to health. Cu Rua’s body was fished from the waters after being discovered on Tuesday evening and for now remains in a temple on a small island in the lake.
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