Team TSA travels around the world for their conservation work. In addition, staff and volunteers are often trained in range countries to continue this important work year round. In many range countries, resources are very limited. By purchasing an item on the TSA wish list, you can provide conservationists with the tools to make their work not only easier, but much more effective. Please consider helping us cross an item off of our list today!
pit tags (10) $70
A Passive Integrated Transponder (or PIT) tag is a very small radio frequency device that can be implanted just under the skin of turtles. The tag transmits a unique individual code to a handheld reader where it is displayed in a numeric or alphanumeric form. PIT tags have become extremely valuable tools for biologists in helping them to identify individual turtles throughout the life of the animal. This can be useful in both a captive setting, (especially when managing large groups) and a field setting. Field biologists can use the tags to identify animals that have been captured and released during surveys to track movement, or to monitor headstarted animals that have been released over the long term.
Flip Video Camera $200
Small, compact and easy to use, Flip video cameras can be used for a variety of purposes by the TSA. By providing these cameras to the biologists working on TSA projects in range countries, we are dramatically increasing their ability to communicate with TSA supporters and conservation experts year -round. Video can be taken, easily uploaded, and shared for a variety of reasons that may include:
- sharing news with TSA members and project supporters.
- providing video footage of project activities for the TSA website and other educational purposes.
- sending video of turtle behavior or medical conditions to turtle experts to get professional advice on husbandry or treatment.
- capturing invaluable footage of some of the world's rarest turtles and tortoises, which in many cases, simply does not exist!
Camera Traps $200
Activated by motion, camera traps are a great tool for monitoring activity on nesting beaches. By installing camera traps, beaches can be monitored 24/7 and the images that they capture alert biologists to the presence and location of new nests. This knowledge is especially valuable for species in which headstarting is a part of their conservation plan. The ability to quickly locate nests that may be under threat of predation or harvest allows conservationists to remove the valuable eggs and place them in a headstart facility where they can hatch and hatchlings can grow to a healthy size for release into their natural habitat.
In addition, camera traps may also help to document or confirm the presence of rare species that may otherwise be unknown in certain areas of their range. This knowledge helps to give conservationists a more complete picture of the status of the rare, and sometimes "shy" species that they are working to save.
gps units $300
GPS units have become a standard tool in any field biologist’s toolbox. Handheld devices allow for accurate marking of field survey sites, documentation of turtles or nest sites, and improve navigation and safety.
