News & Events

TSA Programs make an Impact for 20 of the Top 25 Most Endangered Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles – 2018

by Jordan Gray

A newly released report by the TSA and fellow turtle conservation organizations, collectively known as the Turtle Conservation Coalition, entitled “Turtles in Trouble: The World’s 25+ Most Endangered Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles ‚Äì 2018” shows that tortoises and freshwater turtles are facing an almost unparalleled extinction crisis. This report indicates that over 50% of all known species of these animals face extinction risk, making them second only to non-human primates as the world’s most threatened group of vertebrates.

With in situ range-country programs and assurance colonies across the globe, and captive-breeding programs at our flagship Turtle Survival Center in South Carolina, the TSA has positively impacted 20 of the Top 25 (and 39 of the Top 50) most endangered tortoises and freshwater turtles listed in the report.

These 20 species include: Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle (Rafetus swinhoei), Ploughshare Tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora), Yunnan Box Turtle (Cuora yunnanensis), Northern River Terrapin (Batagur baska), Myanmar Roofed Turtle (Batagur trivittata), Zhou’s Box Turtle (Cuora zhoui), McCord’s Box Turtle (Cuora mccordi), Golden-headed Box Turtle (Cuora aurocapitata), Dahl’s Toad-headed Turtle (Mesoclemmys dahli), Three-striped Box Turtle (Cuora trifasciata), Burmese Star Tortoise (Geochelone platynota), Rote Island Snake-necked Turtle (Chelodina mccordi), Southeast Asian Narrow-headed Softshell Turtle (Chitra chitra), Vietnamese Pond Turtle (Mauremys annamensis), Central American River Turtle (Dermatemys mawii), Southern River Terrapin (Batagur affinis), Red-crowned Roofed Turtle (Batagur kachuga), Sulawesi Forest Turtle (Leucocephalon yuwonoi), Hoge’s Side-necked Turtle (Mesoclemmys hogei), and Palawan Forest Turtle (Siebenrockiella leytensis).

For a hard copy of the “TSA’s Impact Map,” secure your copy of the 2017 Turtle Survival magazine due out in days!

You can directly make an impact for the species listed in the report by becoming a TSA Member today!