Radiated Tortoises at a Critical Crossroads
Shortly after arriving in the small town of Beloha, word of our arrival spread quickly. Not many “vazas”, a Malagsy term for light skinned foreigners, come to this area of Madagascar, especially ones studying tortoises. We definitely drew some curious stares and in a manner of minutes we had offers to see tortoises. Although there […]
New at the National Zoo: Home’s Hinge-back Tortoises
These animals came to the National Zoo from the Turtle Survival Alliance in South Carolina to participate in the Species Survival Plan. All are around 4 years old. Tortoises take a long time to become sexually mature, so we are quite a few years away from any breeding attempts. Read more HERE:
Back in China – 2010
by Dr. Gerald Kuchling on April 21, 2010 Dr. Gerald Kuchling recently sent in this update from the Suzhou Zoo in China, where he has returned to spearhead another breeding attempt for the Yangtze giant softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei): A quick update from China: I and Guundie (note: Dr. Kuchling’s wife), Dr. Lu Shunqing (Wildlife […]
Central American River Turtle Program off to a good start in Belize
by Rick Hudson on April 16, 2010 The TSA’s goal to create a sustainable conservation program for one of the world’s most heavily exploited turtles, Dermatemys mawii, finally saw some progress recently with the arrival of Dr. Thomas Rainwater in Belize. With funding from the Turtle Conservation Fund (TCF) and the Mohammed bin Zayed Species […]
Chelonian Visitor Center opens in Vietnam
The Turtle Survival Aliance is pleased to announce the opening of the Chelonian Visitor Center in Cuc Phuong National Park, Vietnam. The visitor center represents the region’s first visitor interpretation center focused exclusively on the conservation of turtles and freshwater turtles. The new educational facilities incorporate a range of interpretive displays and exhibits including underwater […]
TSA Assisting with Illegal Turtle Shipment Seized in Hong Kong
One of the biggest undertakings the TSA is facing in the coming weeks is one that we couldn’t have planned for – a major confiscation of smuggled turtles and tortoises in Hong Kong. Our friends at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG) in Hong Kong contacted us in February seeking our assistance. The government had […]
Team TSA in Asia, August/September 2009
This report is the second 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 […]
Close Call for the World’s Last Rafetus swinhoei in the Wild
Torrential monsoon rains caused rivers to spill over their banks and brought water in lakes and reservoirs to capacity throughout northern Vietnam. It was mid-November 2008 and Team Rafetus Vietnam had just completed a series of awareness activities in local communities surrounding Dong Mo Lake (located about 60 km west of Hanoi) where the world’s […]
Ground breaking procedure gives new hope for the survival of Rafetus
by Howard Goldstein, Rick Hudson and Paul Calle On April 7, 2016 Dr. Gerald Kuchling (TSA) performed for the first time that we know of a surgical artificial insemination (AI) procedure on a reptile. This innovative procedure was a historic attempt to save the world’s most critically endangered turtle, the Yangtze Giant Softshell (Rafetus swinhoei). […]
Rafetus swinhoei Update, May 2017
TSA and partners coordinate a third artificial insemination attempt of the Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle in China By Dr. Gerald Kuchling Semen collection by electro-ejaculation and artificial insemination of the last pair of Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) in China unfortunately did not produce any fertilized eggs in 2015 and 2016, therefore we continue […]
Rafetus Swinhoei Update
It is with great disappointment that TSA must report that the latest attempt to artificially inseminate the last known female Yangtze Giant Softshell Rafetus swinhoei, has proven unsuccessful. With only three known individuals remaining, two in captivity in China and one in a lake in Vietnam, R. swinhoei has the dubious distinction of being the […]
The Globalization of the Turtle Trade
The Asian turtle crisis, driven largely by market demand from China, has decimated tortoise and freshwater turtle populations throughout Asia in recent decades. When wild populations were effectively exhausted locally, the trade expanded globally and began to put pressure on wild populations in the United States. Given the availability of shipment options, lax harvest regulations […]
