Hà Đình Đức, guardian of Hanoi’s legendary turtle, died at 86

Hà Đình Đức, a Vietnamese zoologist known as 'Professor Turtle,' died at 86 after spending roughly a quarter-century documenting the giant softshell turtle of Hanoi's Hồ Gươm lake, tied to the legend of a magical sword returned to a golden turtle. He began tracking the animal in 1991 and continued advocating for it and the lake's protection even after the turtle died in 2016.

His work regularly put him at odds with Hanoi officials over dredging and development plans near the lake, and he continued searching for related turtles elsewhere in Vietnam until his death.

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