Range-country Programs
Radio-tracking Radiated Tortoises – Travel Blog Vol. 4
April 6, 2022 By Brett Bartek Back to so-called “civilization.” Although a return to the capital of Antananarivo means regular showers and a cheeseburger lunch in a French restaurant, it also means traffic jams, pollution, panhandling, and the overall busy nature that comes with any big city. While in the field, time is regulated by…
Read MoreSpecies Spotlight: Asian Giant Softshell
Asian Giant Softshell Turtle (Pelochelys cantorii) Countries of Origin: Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore (extirpated), Thailand, Vietnam IUCN Status: Critically Endangered Habitat: Rivers, estuaries, coastal brackish and marine waters, and lakes Size: ≤ 100 cm (~39 in.) carapace length Fast Facts: – Described to science in 1864 by John Edward Gray – Named in…
Read MoreTSA’s Turtle Month Turtle Heroes — Week 4
Welcome to Week 4 of TSA’s Turtle Month! Every day, from Earth Day through World Turtle Day® on May 23rd, TSA is highlighting the people who make possible our collaborative programs across the world for the preservation of threatened turtles and tortoises. Without these Turtle Heroes, we could not achieve our vision of Zero Turtle Extinction! For their…
Read More30 Royal Turtles Hatch in Cambodia!
Koh Kong, Cambodia – Thirty Royal Turtle babies hatched in an artificial sand bank at theKoh Kong Reptile Conservation Center (KKRCC) last week. This is the second time that Royal Turtles havelaid eggs in captivity in Cambodia. “The hatching of these turtles underscores the importance of building breeding colonies of at-riskspecies in their country of…
Read MoreTSA’s Turtle Month Turtle Heroes — Week 3
Welcome to Week 3 of TSA’s Turtle Month! Every day, from Earth Day through World Turtle Day® on May 23rd, TSA is highlighting the people who make possible our collaborative programs across the world for the preservation of threatened turtles and tortoises. Without these Turtle Heroes, we could not achieve our vision of Zero Turtle Extinction!…
Read MoreRadio-tracking Radiated Tortoises – Travel Blog Vol. 3
April 2, 2022 By Brett Bartek After returning from Lavanono we spent three more days at the tortoise release site. With all of the hard work complete, we were left with the fun work of simply trying to locate all of our transmittered tortoises one last time before the TSA staff whom we trained return…
Read MoreRadio-tracking Radiated Tortoises – Travel Blog Vol. 1
9 March 2022 by Brett Bartek Antanananrivo, Madagascar—On Saturday March 6th, Lance Paden and I started the 37-hour journey to the island country of Madagascar. Here we are going to assist with the repatriation of 1,000 Radiated Tortoises (Astrochelys radiata) that were once confiscated from poachers. Eight months ago these tortoises were chosen, based on size…
Read MoreDermatemys Program Coordinator
Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) and Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education (BFREE), in furthering our conservation goals for the Central American River Turtle (Dermatemys mawii), are excited to announce Dr. Raymon Edward “Ed” Boles as the first Dermatemys Program Coordinator. This newly created position within the BFREE organization aims to advance our collaborative Central…
Read MoreFaces of Turtle Conservation: Ed Boles
Who: Dr. Ed Boles What: Dermatemys Program Coordinator Where: Cayo District, Belize 1) Ed, you were recently named as the Dermatemys Program Coordinator. Could you please tell us more about your vision for Central American River Turtle, aka Hicatee, conservation and what you see as the first priority? Ultimately the vision is to promote collaborative…
Read MorePainting a Picture of Progress in North Sumatra
By Jordan Gray and Joko Guntoro Each December, following the annual commencement of monsoon season in northern Sumatra, Joko Guntoro leads teams from the Satucita Foundation and Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BBKSDA) as they comb provincial beaches of Aceh and North Sumatra in search of telltale footprints. The tracks are those of female Painted Terrapins…
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