A dark oblong creature drifted from the depths of Hanoi’s 1,400-hectare Đồng Mô Lake and began to float, motionless, on the surface last weekend. Local residents and conservationists locked eyes on the gloomy sight, sharing fears about what this might mean for the future of a revered species in Vietnam. On Monday, state media reports suggested it was not only a Giant Yangtze Softshell Turtle (Rafetus swinhoei), but it was likely the last known female of the species, leaving only two known males remaining—one in Suzhou Zoo in China and another in Hanoi’s Xuân Khanh Lake. Speaking to TIME on Friday, Tim McCormack, director of the Asian Turtle Program for Indo-Myanmar Conservation, confirmed that the creature was almost certainly the last known female Rafetus swinhoei: “It is the same individual that we’ve been monitoring in recent years.