Hopes pinned on old turtles to reproduce

A female soft-shell turtle rests near a pool inside a zoo in Suzhou, China, in May in this photo released by Wildlife Conservation Society.

? She’s around 80 years old. He’s 100. Breathless scientists watched as the world’s most endangered turtles successfully mated.

But the attempt to breed the species’ last known female with the last known male in China has failed because the eggs didn’t hatch, disappointed conservationists said Saturday.

The elderly pair can try again next year, part of a delicate attempt to keep the species alive.

Just four known Yangtze giant soft-shell turtles are left, and three are male.

The only female was found in a Chinese zoo just last year after a long and desperate search. She was quickly protected with a surveillance camera, a guard and bulletproof glass, and given the nickname “China Girl.”

A successful batch of baby turtles would be a welcome environmental win for China. The country’s efforts to save its pandas are famous, but scientists have said about 40 percent of China’s mammal species are endangered. Pollution and hunting almost erased the Yangtze turtles.

Conservationists were thrilled this spring when the female and male finally were introduced, nudged each other curiously and slowly got down to business. Artificial insemination was deemed too risky.

Within weeks, dozens of eggs were found in the sandy nesting area at the Suzhou Zoo, about an hour’s drive west of Shanghai. Conservationists predicted possible hatchlings by early August. But this week, they said the effort had failed.

“Unfortunately, none of the eggs successfully hatched this time,” Stephen C. Sautner, a communications official with the Wildlife Conservation Society, said in an e-mail Saturday.

Besides the pair that mated, the only other known Yangtze turtles are two males in Vietnam.

The turtle alliance is optimistic. Despite their advanced ages, the two turtles “should be in top form” next year, its statement said.