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  A rarely seen giant white soft-shell turtle. (Photo courtesy: Sin Chew Daily)

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  Lines on its belly looked like a human face. (Photo courtesy: Sin Chew Daily)

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  The white soft-shell turtle is very tame. (Photo courtesy: Sin Chew Daily)

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TAIPING, PERAK: More than 200 people rushed to a villager's house to personally take a look at a rarely seen giant white soft-shell turtle, which was believed to be a mascot that brought great fortune.

Villager Cao Dechang bought the white soft-shell turtle weighted 7kg and measured 2 feet long at RM30 from a Malay villager, who caught it at a river.

The news was rapidly spread and curious villagers flocked to pay the great turtle a visit. Different sayings were formed when some of them found that lines on its belly looked like a human face.

Cao told Sin Chew Daily that he bought it as he had never seen such a huge white soft-shell turtle before. He would release it after Chinese New Year.

"Someone wanted to pay me RM300 for the turtle but I rejected his offer. About 200 people had took a look at it over the past two days. Even the elders said they had never seen such a big white soft-shell turtle before," said Cao.

He believed that the white soft-shell was a mascot that could bring great fortune.

It was said that freshwater soft-shell turtles were generally blackish yellow and white soft-shell turtles were very rare.

Also, soft-shell turtles were usually ferocious but the white soft-shell turtle was very tame. (Translated by SOONG PHUI JEE/ Sin Chew Daily)