Slow and steady hope for near-extinct Bangladesh tortoises

    RAJENDRAPUR, Bangladesh -- Newly-hatched tortoises take their first steps at a Bangladesh conservation park, their feet barely visible under hard shells that carry the weight of the species on their backs. These tiny newborns -- 41 in all -- belong to a species thought to have gone extinct in the country until seven years ago when they were rediscovered by conservationists with the help of locals in the southeastern Chittagong hills. Once abundant across dense tropical forests in Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Thailand, the population of Asian Forest Tortoises has fallen sharply after widespread habitat destruction and rampant poaching. With their local populat...

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