Madagascar Tortoise Smugglers Sentenced

by: Heather Lowe The TSA is thrilled to announce that a verdict has been reached in a tortoise smuggling case in Madagascar from July 2011. One of the smugglers arrested, along with three accomplices, were sentenced this week to two years in prison and a fine equivalent to $574,000 USD. This is the highest fine […]

River Terrapin Hatchlings Found in the Wild

by: Heather Lowe The Sundarbans Batatgur or Northern River Terrapin (Batagur baska) is generally considered to be functionally extinct in thewild, with no known nesting populations remaining. However, two juveniles were recently caught by fishermen in Bangladesh! A small field team, led by Rupali Ghosh, was traveling in the south of Bangladesh this June to […]

Turtle Rescue Center Opens in Madagascar

by: Rick Hudson The TSA Madagascar Program is pleased to announce that the first of four planned tortoise rescue centers in the south has been built at Ambovombe, the administrative capital of the Androy Region. The native people – known as Tandroy – have traditionally held the strongest taboos (known as fady) against harming tortoises […]

More Good News for River Terrapins in Bangladesh

by: Heather Lowe There is much reason to celebrate in Bangladesh with the recent discovery of TWO additional Sundarbans Batagur, or Northern River Terrapins (Batagur baska). The first was a healthy adult female that was discovered by Rupali Ghosh (TSA) in a private pond. This beautiful female was living on her own in the small […]

Star Tortoise Pre-Release Pens Built in Myanmar

by: Heather Lowe The Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) work together to conserve three of Myanmar’s critically endangered endemic turtles and tortoises. Since 2009, the TSA has been aggressively pursuing a conservation campaign to conduct field research, coordinate rescue operations for turtles confiscated from the wildlife trade, hold training workshops […]

Project Coordinator Hired in Madagascar

by: Rick Hudson The TSA is pleased to announce the hiring of Gregory Duplant as Project Coordinator for TSA Madagascar’s southern tortoise program. Gregory comes to us from WCS Cambodia and brings a wealth of experience in working with indigenous people and promoting grassroots conservation. Gregory will be responsible for mobilizing TSA’s Confiscation to Reintroduction […]

10 Royal Turtles Released into their Natural Habitat

PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE image:[wcs.jpeg] Kampong Seila (Jan 28, 2021) ‚ The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the Department of Fisheries Conservation of the Fisheries Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, collaboration with Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS), today released ten critically endangered Royal Turtles (Batagur affinis) into the Sre Ambel River […]

Endangered River Terrapins Nesting in Bangladesh

by: Rick Hudson Throughout Asia, nesting season is just concluding for river terrapins (genus Batagur), where five of the six known species struggle to survive. All species have been reduced to remnants of their former numbers, and intensive recovery programs are being spearheaded to ensure their survival. In Bangladesh, one of the world’s rarest turtles, […]

Recent Confiscations in Belize Help Stock the Hicatee Conservation Research Center

by¬†Jacob Marlin¬† The new Hicatee Conservation Research Center (HCRC) in Belize is now open for business, which is a good thing for eight Central American River turtles, or Hicatee (Dermatemys mawii), that were confiscated recently. Spearheaded by the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) and created in partnership with the Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education […]

Ploughshare Tortoises Among Shipment of 521 Seized at Ivato Airport in Madagascar

Herilala Randriamahazo (Director,¬†TSA Madagascar)¬†reported another large tortoise confiscation this week at the Ivato airport in Antananarivo. On Sunday, May 11, 521 tortoises ‚Äì all juveniles – were seized prior to being loaded on a Kenya Aiways flight to Nairobi; the smuggler ran away when his name was called by the information desk and was not […]

Record Nesting for Burmese Roof Turtle

by¬†Rick Hudson¬† The joint Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) / Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) field team recently returned from the Upper Chindwin River in Myanmar where one of the world’s most critically endangered turtles is making a remarkable recovery. Feared extinct until “rediscovered” in 2002, when three specimens were found in a pagoda pond, the Burmese […]

Another banner year for the Sundarbans River Terrapin

by¬†Rick Hudson¬† For the third straight year, the survival prospects for one of the world’s most endangered freshwater turtles, the Sundarbans River Terrapin (Batagur baska), have improved substantially. Recently we reported on a flurry of nesting activity at the breeding center at Bhawal National Park in Bangladesh, where six females laid clutches of eggs, including¬†a […]