‘Tanintharyi Four’ Arrive in Yangon

by: Steve and Kalyar Platt Four adult (two males and two females) Asian Brown Tortoises (Manouria emys) arrived at the Yangon airport on Thursday, June 28, ultimately destined for an assurance colony at the Rakhine Yoma Elephant Sanctuary in Gwa, Myanmar. The tortoises were found in a village by the TSA/WCS Turtle Team during a […]

TSA Dedicates New School at Antsakoamasy

by: Rick Hudson From all over the Androy Region of southern Madagascar, they came: politicians, local officials, teachers, and of course the children – over 1000 of them. All wanted to be there to participate in the dedication ceremony for the region’s newest primary school, recently constructed with support from the Turtle Survival Alliance. What […]

Film Highlights Growing Radiated Tortoise Crisis

by: Rick Hudson The TSA, in collaboration with The Orianne Society (TOS), hired noted South Africa-based wildlife film makers Moz Images to cover the rapidly worsening crisis with Madagascar’s Radiated Tortoise. The film crew of Chris Scarfe and Aaron Gekoski accompanied Rick Hudson and Christina Castellano to Madagascar in September 2011 and the resulting short […]

New Book Available on Myanmar’s Turtles

by: Steve Platt Sitting astride the southern border of China, Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) has been on the frontlines of the battle to save Asia’s imperiled chelonian fauna ever since the global conservation community first became aware of the Asian Turtle Crisis in the mid-1990s. Unfortunately, resources for conservation are scarce in this impoverished […]

Northern River Terrapin Nests in Bangladesh

by: Heather Lowe The TSA has been working in Bangladesh, in collaboration with the NGO CARINAM, the Forest Department and the Vienna Zoo, since 2010 to secure an assurance colony for the Northern River Terrapin (Batagur baska), one of Asia’s most threatened large river turtles. After literally scouring markets and private ponds to secure some […]

Grants Received for Star Tortoise Reintroduction

by: Heather Lowe The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF) recently awarded the TSA a $24,800 grant to support a reintroduction program for Burmese star tortoises (Geochelone platynota) in Myanmar. This project is the first step in a larger project with the ultimate goal of reintroducing and establishing a breeding population of star tortoises at a […]

Arrest of Tortoise Poachers Shakes Up Town

by: Herilala Randriamahazo The head of Androy Region in southern Madagascar has given the order to return 272 juvenile Radiated Tortoises to the town of Tsihombe, a well-known hub of tortoise poaching and consumption in the south. On the night of September 22, two dealers left Tsihombe by taxi-brousse and were later arrested by the […]

Turtle Conservation Course Taught in Colombia

by: German Forero-Medina From September 29 to October 8, the Universidad del Valle, in Cali, Colombia, offered a graduate course in natural history and conservation of freshwater turtles and tortoises, with the support from the TSA and other national organizations. In this course students learned techniques to identify and study turtle species in Colombia, the […]

Madagascar Tortoise Conservation Expedition

by: Christina Castellano The Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) and Utah’s Hogle Zoo (HZ) conducted their latest field expedition in March 2013 as part of the Madagascar Tortoise Conservation Project. The goals of the expedition were to: -Conduct an assessment of last year’s public awareness campaign using survey questionnaires and focus groups; -Distribute new campaign materials […]

Radiated Tortoise Confiscation Update

by: Heather Lowe The group of radiated tortoises that was confiscated at the Ivato Airport (Madagascar) on October 10 is still being cared for by the staff at the office that the TSA shares with the Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership in Antaranarivo. The tortoises (569 total) had been packed into just four suitcases when they were […]

Star Tortoise Workshops Hosted in Myanmar

by: Steve Platt The Burmese star tortoise (Geochelone platynota) is a Critically Endangered species endemic to the dry zone of central Myanmar. Star tortoises have long been harvested for food by local people, but high demand, first from food and traditional medicine markets in southern China, and later by pet markets in China, Japan, and […]

Turtle Confiscations in Myanmar

by: Rick Hudson The TSA’s new Turtle Rescue Center (TRC) in Myanmar is a busy place these days after the second recent confiscation of Yellow Tortoises (Indotestudo elongata). A total of 136 tortoises have arrived at the TRC in two shipments in September, turned over by the Myanmar Forestry Department. The tortoises are being treated […]