The Philippine Forest Turtle, locally known as “bakoko”, was thought extinct until the 2000s, when specimens were found in pet markets in the Philippines. Specimens were found in the wild in 2004 but researchers report they have become rare.
According to a 2009 report by the Philippine Freshwater Turtle Conservation Project (PFTCP), the turtle's "rediscovery triggered a high demand for the international pet market. Just months after the rediscovery was published, the species was available on the international pet markets of Europe, Japan and the USA."
