She was fascinated by the variety of species but recoiled in horror when the turtles were pulled from the pit, butchered and cooked by the camp chef.
[4] Platt led a study in the Tanintharyi Region of Myanmar in 2008 concerning local beliefs towards the critically endangered Northern river terrapin (Batagur baska) and found that the people had "strong, highly localised beliefs that these animals have spiritual powers, including the ability to transform into humans."
The study found a hesitation to disturb or harvest the turtles due to the belief that they are under the protection of spirits known as nats.
[1] Platt oversees conservation, breeding and reintroduction projects for some of Southeast Asia's rarest turtle species.
[10] Platt oversaw the collection of Burmese roofed turtle (Batagur trivittata) eggs at the Chindwin River.
She also established a third assurance colony for the turtles and worked with the Yadanabon Zoological Gardens in Mandalay to increase their production of hatchlings.
[13] The Assistant Director General of the Myanmar Forest Department remarked that the "TSA/WCS efforts on behalf of turtles is without exception the most effective conservation program in the country, and much of this success was due to the unceasing labors of one person, the Leik Saya Magyi, Indomitable Turtle Lady, of Myanmar, Kalyar Platt.
In 2021, she received a grant for the repatriation of confiscated big-headed turtles (Platysternon megacephalum) to protected areas.