A three-legged turtle named Hope, which uses wheels to move, could help save its critically endangered species from extinction.
The animal was rescued from smugglers after being found in a suitcase with 56 more turtles by customs officials in Hong Kong in 2019.
The owner, an aspiring wildlife trader traveling from the Comoros Islands, was later jailed for two years.
The Plowshare Hope turtle has now settled into Chester Zoo and uses a set of rollers designed by experts to help them move.
Conservationists now claim that Hope lives up to its nickname by joining a European conservation program for conservation and helping save the species from extinction.
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The curator of lower vertebrates and invertebrates at Chester Zoo, Dr Gerardo Garcia, said: “Hope is an incredibly special turtle, for many reasons.
“First of all, plow turtles are exceptionally rare. It’s not just the most endangered turtle species in the world, it’s one of the most endangered animals on the planet, full stop.
“There are now less than 300 left in the wild, mainly due to their overexploitation by illegal wildlife traders, leaving them functionally extinct in their Madagascar home.
“In addition, Hope has a remarkable life history, having been rescued from smugglers, discovery that she was missing a leg and then had a specially adapted mobility support prosthesis to help her move.
“It works wonderfully well: it moves even faster than its three neighbors.
“It is settling very well in its new home and, hopefully, in a few years, once it is more developed, it will produce offspring and contribute to the survival of the species thanks to the population. of vital insurance in conservation zoos “.
In the wild, the plow turtle is only found in a small remote stretch of sand, rock and bamboo in Madagascar.
Only 63 of the animals live legally outside Madagascar as part of conservation breeding programs.
The happy news about Hope comes when 109 live animals, including 35 turtles, were found in the luggage while two women were trying to board a Thai Airways flight to India in an unrelated case.