China’s Turtle Hero Wins Prestigious Behler Turtle Conservation Award

The Behler Turtle Conservation Award is presented jointly by the Turtle Survival Alliance, the IUCN SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group, the Turtle Conservancy and the Turtle Conservation Fund, and is co-sponsored by Global Wildlife Conservation, Wildlife Conservation Society, and other private foundations and individuals. It annually awards global leadership and excellence in the […]

Assam Temples Release 70 Turtle Hatchlings in Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary

SEE THE VIDEO HERE This was a joint effort of Assam Forest Department, Hayagriva Madhava Temple Management Committee, Ugratara Temple Management, Turtle Survival Alliance and Help Earth. Read more HERE.

Successful Surveys in Belize

by Dr. Thomas Rainwater on May 12, 2010 Early on May 2, we met the fisherman and boat driver (also a respected turtle hunter) by the river at St. Paul Bank for the ~1.5 hour journey up the Belize River (to the Big Falls area) for a day of diving for hickatees. Seven of the […]

Dermatemys Surveys Continue in Belize

by Dr. Thomas Rainwater on April 29, 2010 On April 23rd, we conducted a spotlight survey of ~ 16 km of the Sittee River just south of Dangriga. The locals there say turtles are in the river, but most are sliders (Trachemys) and loggerheads (Staurotypus). They say Dermatemysare there but are seldom seen. We saw […]

Legendary Turtle Dies in Vietnam

By Rick Hudson The Turtle Survival Alliance has confirmed that one of the world’s four known remaining Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtles (Rafetus swinhoei), has died in Vietnam. This turtle ‚Äì believed to be a male – was highly revered in Vietnam and was a long-time occupant of Hoan Kiem Lake in the heart of downtown […]

Malagasy Tortoise Coordinator Hired

We are pleased to announce that the TSA has hired Herilala Randriamahazo,¬†a long ‚Äì time tortoise conservation biologist, as our full-time Malagasy Tortoise Conservation Coordinator. He started on September 1 and will work out of the office of the Henry Doorly Zoo’s Madagascar Biodiversity Program in the capitol city of Antananarivo. HDZ will provide him […]

Disappointing Dermatemys Surveys

by Thomas Rainwater on May 22, 2010 On May 7th, we traveled back to Gales Point to survey Northern Lagoon. As is the case with Southern Lagoon, local biologist Kevin Andrewin and others informed us that Dermatemys is mostly found in the rivers and creeks feeding into the lagoon rather than the lagoon itself. We […]

Hard Work in Belize

by Dr. Thomas Rainwater on May 12, 2010 On April 30, we set out to survey Cook’s Lagoon, Cook’s Creek, and Mussel Creek in central Belize. These are areas that Don Moll surveyed for Dermatemys in the early 1980s. Mussel Creek leads to Cook’s Creek, which then leads to Cook’s Lagoon. Our plan was to […]

Don’t Mess with the Bees in Belize!

by Dr. Thomas Rainwater on May 07, 2010 On April 28, we traveled to Gales Point to survey Southern Lagoon. We met with Kevin Andrewin, a Belizean biologist and conservationist who has been working with manatees and hawksbill turtles for years in Southern Lagoon and throughout Belize. He and other residents of Gales Point told […]

Updates from Belize – Surveys Begin!

by Dr. Thomas Rainwater on April 23, 2010 We’ve been in the field for a week and have surveyed 4 rivers in the south of Belize: the Rio Grande, Golden Stream, Moho River, and Temash River. Multiple NGOs in southern Belize have been extremely helpful during our time here, and we would have been much […]

Team TSA in Asia- September 2009

This report is the third to chronicle the daily activities of a TSA team’s visit to four countries in Asia ‚Äì Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Philippines – to design turtle facilities, develop conservation programs, and consult on turtle husbandry issues. The team is led by Rick Hudson and includes Bill Zeigler, Lonnie McCaskill and Dave […]

Team TSA in Madagascar – Part 1

by Rick Hudson on March 18, 2010 Team Madagascar is Rick Hudson (Fort Worth Zoo/TSA), Brian Horne (San Diego Zoo/TSA), Bonnie Raphael, DVM and Berni Leahy (Wildlife Conservation Society). We are guided by Herilala Randrianmahazo (WCS Madagascar) and accompanied by Tsanta, a 5th year veterinary student. Goals and objectives: 1) Assist the WCS veterinary team […]