Archive for April 2012
New TSA Captive Breeding Facility
by Heather Lowe In response to the magnitude of the turtle extinction crisis, the TSA was founded on the belief that some critically endangered species would not survive without long-term captive assurance colonies. Historically, the TSA’s assurance colonies have been spread over multiple locations as a hedge against a disease outbreak, fire, or other disaster wiping…
Read MoreWorld’s Rarest Tortoises Arrive in the US
by Heather Lowe A special delivery of some of the world’s rarest reptiles has arrived in the Southeastern United States. Eight critically endangered ploughshare tortoises (Astrochelys yniphora), imported by the TSA, are now residents of Zoo Atlanta and Knoxville Zoo. They may represent the last hope for a species marked for extinction. Widely considered the world’s…
Read MoreTSA Conducts Tortoise Husbandry Workshops in Madagascar
by Rick Hudson In response to the growing number of tortoise confiscations in Madagascar, and a lack of trained tortoise-care personnel and dedicated facilities, the TSA recently conducted two husbandry training workshops aimed at improving care and survival. Often, these confiscations end poorly for the tortoises involved, and we continue to see appalling levels of mortality…
Read MoreTSA Dedicates New School at Antsakoamasy
by Rick Hudson From all over the Androy Region of southern Madagascar, they came: politicians, local officials, teachers, and of course the children – over 1000 of them. All wanted to be there to participate in the dedication ceremony for the region’s newest primary school, recently constructed with support from the Turtle Survival Alliance. What began with a…
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