The winner of the 2015 Behler Turtle Conservation Award has been announced, with this year’s title going to Dr Kalyar Platt, director of the Turtle Conservation Programme in Burma.

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The annual accolade, presented in honour of renowned herpetologist John L. Behler, recognises excellence in the field of turtle conservation, and is co-sponsored by a range of non-government organisations advocating wildlife protection around the world.

Dr Platt said she will spend the award’s US$5,000 honorarium to train other turtle conservationists in Burma.

“I am going to use the prize money to send young keepers working on turtle conservation in our country to the Singapore Zoo to study techniques on caring, feeding and breeding turtles,” she said.

The awards ceremony is scheduled to take place in the US state of Arizona in August.