Giant Royal Turtles Found.

Feb. 28, 2001 —Giant turtles, believed to be extinct for more than a century, have been found nesting on a river bank in the Koh Kong Province in southern Cambodia. The turtles, which weigh up to 70 pounds (32 kg), once abounded in the rivers and mangrove wetlands of much of Asia. Although the turtles were protected for years by royal decree, they were wiped out by a combination of habitat destruction, egg collecting and the killing of adults for food.