Radiated Tortoises Returned to the Spiny Forests of Madagascar

by¬†Andrea Currylow Since 2011, the TSA has been working with the southern Madagascar community of Ampotoka to create a safe reserve for the Radiated Tortoise. Ampotoka’s forests include some relatively untouched forested habitat that the community considers ancestral sacred ground. It is in those forests where the Radiated Tortoises were recently very numerous due to […]

Making More Friends at the TSC

by¬†Heather Lowe¬† The TSC recently hosted a number of special visitors. Consulting veterinarian Dr. Terry Norton of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center was joined by Dr. Sam Rivera, Associate Veterinarian at Zoo Atlanta. The vets teamed up to perform endoscopic sexing on a group of Spider Tortoises (Pyxis a.brygooi). The doctors were assisted by Christi […]

Invasive Snails & Eastern Musk Turtles in Texas!

Madeleine Morrison, one of the Turtle Survival Alliance’s North American Freshwater Turtle Research Group’s outstanding student volunteers, recently published a paper on the diet of Eastern Musk Turtles at our Comal Springs study site in the journal Herpetology Notes. This is a wonderful paper on invasive species as food sources at a unique study site. […]

NAFTRG Celebrates 16 Years of Sampling in Florida

by¬†Eric Munscher¬† The North American Freshwater Turtle Research Group (NAFTRG) kicked off its sixteenth year of sampling in Florida at Ichetucknee Springs on March 21-22. The NAFTRG had members from Pennsylvania, Washington, and Georgia (Jekyll Island) join forces once again with a devoted team of researchers from Santa Fe College lead by Dr. Jerry Johnston […]

Spring has Sprung at the TSC

by Heather Lowe The TSA recently welcomed an important addition to the Turtle Survival Center (TSC). Hatched in May 2014, the one year old Southern Vietnam Box Turtle (Cuora picturata) was acquired from a private breeder in the United States. The captive bred individual represents an important step in building a first generation population which […]

Commentary: South Carolina Must Tighten State Laws to Protect Turtles

BY ELISE BENNETT (Center for Biological Diversity) and JORDAN GRAY (Turtle Survival Alliance) Each year, tens of thousands of live turtles are stolen from America’s woodlands and waterways and shipped overseas as pets or for meat. And with lax laws against harvest, South Carolina is a haven for turtle snatchers. State wildlife officials recently saved […]

The Extinction Clock is Ticking

by Heather Lowe  In May, the conservation community took a historic step to save the Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle from extinction.  The last known female of the species was artificially inseminated after years of laying clutch after clutch of infertile eggs.  As the conservation community holds its collective breath, the extinction clock is ticking.

More Spotted Pond Turtles Rescued

by¬†Heather Lowe¬† In June, 63 Spotted Pond Turtles (Geoclemyshamiltonii) were rescued from the illegal wildlife trade in India. In coordination with Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra Forest Department, the TSA-India Team transferred the turtles to the Kukrail Gharial and Turtle Rehabilitation Center (KGTRC) in Lucknow. The previous month, the TSA-India team had participated in the¬†repatriation of […]

Crisis in the Philippines: Update from the Field

by¬†Rick Hudson¬† On Friday June 19, the turtle conservation community woke up to a nightmare: 3,800 critically endangered Philippine Forest Turtles (Siebenrockiella leytensis) confiscated in a Chinese warehouse in Palawan and in need of immediate assistance. The images were shocking, sickening: turtles being moved by the truckload to a rescue center not prepared to hold […]

Philippines Crisis Becoming Manageable

by Heather Lowe TSA’s Director of Animal Management Cris Hagen was the first member of the Turtle Survival Alliance staff to arrive in Palawan. After a week on site, Cris reports that “things are finally calming down and I think the general madness is over.” Since arriving, Cris has been helping to release turtles as […]

Ray of Hope for the World’s Most Endangered Turtle

by¬†Heather Lowe¬† The TSA, San Diego Zoo Global and Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Bronx Zoo recently announced that working in conjunction with Changsha Zoo, Suzhou Zoo¬†and the China Zoo Association, a female Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle (Rafetus¬†swinhoei)‚Äîpotentially the last female of her species‚Äîhas been artificially inseminated.¬†The procedure, which brought together¬†top¬†scientists from China, Australia and the […]

Spotted Pond Turtles Return Home

by¬†Heather Lowe¬† TSA-India had a big reason to celebrate on World Turtle Day®. In coordination with the Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra forest department and the Thane Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), TSA-India assisted in the repatriation of 335 Spotted Pond Turtles (Geoclemys hamiltonii). The animals, which were illegally collected, were rescued over […]