Art Auction for the Turtle Survival Alliance’s Tortoise Conservation Center in Madagascar
Radical Radiated, an original art quilt, has been crafted and donated by Joanna Ellis to raise funds for the rebuilding of the Turtle Survival Alliance’s Tortoise Conservation Center (TCC), our central base of operations in southern Madagascar. The TCC is the linchpin in TSA’s effort to restore depleted populations or Radiated Tortoises with animals seized […]
NAFTRG End-of-Year 2016 Report
by¬†Eric Munscher and Jordan Gray¬† Another field year has closed for the Turtle Survival Alliance’s North American Freshwater Turtle Research Group (TSA-NAFTRG), and one word describes 2016 best: Eventful. For the third year in a row we captured and processed over 3,000 turtles representing 23 taxa. This species total is the highest diversity we have […]
TSA Colombia Expansion
by Rick Hudson TSA Expands Scope of Turtle Conservation Activities in Colombia Podocnemis expansa basking aggregate Photo courtesy of Gabriela Garza A TSA delegation recently returned from Colombia, having reviewed nearly the full scope of the joint Wildlife Conservation Society/Turtle Survival Alliance turtle conservation program there. Rick Hudson (President/CEO) and new Board member Tim Gregory […]
Species Spotlight Vol. 1
Jordan Gray TSA Species Spotlight Magdalena River turtle (Podocnemis lewyana) Country of Origin: Colombia, South America (endemic) IUCN Status: Critically Endangered Estimated surviving population: Unknown/Declining Habitat: Turbid rivers and their tributaries of the Sinu, San Jorge, Cauca and Magdalena River drainages Size: Females ‚⧠46 cm, Males ‚⧠32 cm Factoid: This is the only […]
In Memoriam of TSA Europe Chair Henk Zwartepoorte
by Ron de Bruin On October 28, Henk Zwartepoorte died unexpectedly while on holiday in Australia. He was 67 years old. Henk was a passionate leader in the turtle conservation community. Because of his friendly and approachable nature Henk had an extensive network of people involved in turtle care, biology, and conservation around the world. […]
2017 Will Be a Breakout Year for Hicatee
by¬†Howard Goldstein¬† When the Hicatee Conservation and Research Center (HCRC) first opened five years ago as a joint program of the TSA and the Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education (BFREE), it was envisioned to one day become a world-class facility for the study and captive breeding of the critically endangered Central American River […]
Nearly 600 Painted Terrapin Hatchlings Released
by¬†Joko Guntoro and Howard Goldstein¬† The Painted Terrapin (Batagur borneoensis¬†) was once widespread throughout southern Thailand, peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo, and Sumatra, Indonesia, but it’s populations have plummeted due to unrestricted hunting, egg collection, and habitat destruction. On 30 December 2016, nearly 600 hatchlings of this critically endangered species were released into native habitat […]
More Improvements Made in Big-Headed Turtle Rescue
by¬†Howard Goldstein¬† The futures of the Big-Headed Turtles confiscated in Myanmar last month are rapidly improving, thanks to the combined rescue efforts of Turtle Survival Alliance, Wildlife Conservation Society, and Wildlife Reserves Singapore. On 7 November 2016, TSA first announced that the Myanmar authorities had confiscated 800 Big-Headed Turtles from the illegal wildlife trade, and […]
Species Spotlight Vol. 4
by¬†Jordan Gray¬† Photo by Sheena KoethHome’s Hinge-back Tortoise (Kinixys homeana) Countries of Origin: Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and in the Democratic Republic of Congo IUCN Status: Recommended for Critically Endangered Estimated surviving population: Unknown/Declining Habitat: Equatorial tropical and subtropical forests of varying types including lowland evergreen forests, forested swamps, […]
BFREE and TSA Celebrate Hicatee Awareness Month!
By Heather Barrett The Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education (BFREE), Turtle Survival Alliance, and our partners are thrilled to celebrate the 3rd Annual Hicatee Awareness Month this October! Throughout the month, activities and events will celebrate the beloved Central American River Turtle (Dermatemys mawii) ‚Äì locally known as the hicatee. We have lots […]
Batagur Bonanza!
by¬†Jordan Gray Red-crowned Roofed Turtle (India).For 5 species from the genus of riverine turtles Batagur, the second week of May has seen a bonanza of hatching activity! On Monday, 8 May, from India to Cambodia, a phenomenon like no other was observed as we received reports from our range-country programs and TSA partners of the […]
Diapers for Dermatemys
by Jordan Gray It was the Spring semester of 2015 and Nichole Bishop, now a PhD candidate in the University of Florida’s School of Natural Resources and Environment, wasn’t exactly sure what organism she would focus on for her dissertation in Nutritional Ecology. Although she had always been fascinated by turtles and tortoises, the second-semester […]
