Gia Lai, Dec. 17 -- Five elongated tortoises, an endangered reptile species, have been voluntarily handed over to authorities in the central province of Gia Lai by a local resident, police said on December 16.

The resident found the tortoises while he was travelling along Cach Mang Thang Tam street in Pleiku ward. Recognising that the animals belonged to a rare species in need of protection, he contacted the Pleiku ward police to hand them over.

Following the handover, the police worked with forest rangers to examine the tortoises' health condition. The animals were then transferred to the Dak Doa area forest protection unit for further care and necessary procedures before their release back into the natural habitat.

The elongated tort...