Veterinary Teamwork makes the Tortoise Dream Work!
by Jordan Gray To provide exceptional medical care to the thousands of Radiated Tortoises (Astrochelys radiata) seized from wildlife traffickers on April 10, 2018 in Toliara, Madagascar, it takes an amazing assemblage of veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and supporting animal care specialists! The veterinary team works at the treatment table inside the on-site clinic at Village […]
Breakout Year for Burmese Roofed Turtles
by Jordan Gray Yangon, Myanmar‚ÄîTSA-Myanmar Director Kalyar Platt announced that this year’s hatching season for the critically endangered Burmese Roofed Turtle (Batagur trivittata) was record-breaking! At the recent conclusion of the hatching season, 223 of the grayish-green hatchlings had been produced between two of Myanmar’s four conservation facilities for the species. A hatchling Burmese Roofed […]
Southern Vietnam Box Turtle Hatches at the TSC!
By Cris Hagen, Nathan Haislip, Clint Doak, Carol Alvarez, John Greene, and Jordan Gray The year’s first hatchling Southern Vietnam Box Turtle breaks through its eggshell in the TSC’s incubator. Photo credit: Cris Hagen On June 8, 2018 the first hatchling Southern Vietnam Box Turtle (Cuora picturata) of the year pipped its egg at our […]
Species Spotlight Vol. 16
by¬†Jordan Gray¬† Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys sp.) Countries of Origin: United States of America IUCN Status: Vulnerable Estimated surviving population: Unknown Habitat: Rivers, creeks, spring runs, bayous, oxbows, river swamps, reservoirs Biology and Habits: Alligator Snapping Turtles are a benthic dweller of the waterbodies they inhabit, typically favoring the deepest part of the waterway. They […]
Historic Confiscation of Radiated Tortoises, Phase II: Transition to long-term care facility is complete
by Jordan Gray A large juvenile Radiated Tortoise sits beside the commemorative stone placed at our Itampolo tortoise facility. On a late June morning, 62 days after the nearly 10,000 Radiated Tortoises (Astrochelys radiata) were seized from wildlife traffickers in Toliara, Madagascar, a large green truck departed the SOPTOM-CRCC “Village des Tortues” in Ifaty. Contained […]
Singapore Workshop Day 4 – Finding Optimism
by¬†Rick Hudson¬† Day 4 finally rolled around and it was time to sit back and listen to presentations on some of what are considered model programs for turtle conservation in the region. First up is the Cuc Phuong Turtle Conservation Center in Vietnam, perhaps the best known and respected of all the regional centers due […]
Forest Turtle Facility in Myanmar Receives Turtles
by¬†Heather Lowe¬† Kalyar Platt, the TSA’s Turtle Conservation Coordinator in Myanmar, recently returned to Yangon from the newly completed Arakan forest turtle (Heosemys depressa) facility in Gwa, Rakhine Region at the Taung-Nyo Forest Reserve. She will coordinate TSA support for in-situ propagation and assurance colony development for H. depressa at this site. During her visit, […]
Where Have All the Turtles Gone, and Why Does It Matter?
by¬†Jordan Gray¬† For Immediate Release September 19, 2018 TURTLE BIOLOGISTS OUTLINE ECOLOGICAL REPERCUSSIONS OF A WORLD WITHOUT TURTLES Charleston, South Carolina ‚Äì Daudin’s Giant Tortoise. Floreana Giant Tortoise. Viesca Mud Turtle. Pinta Giant Tortoise. Reunion Giant Tortoise. In just the last 200 years, these five species of chelonian have disappeared from the Earth forever‚Äîand an […]
TSA Board Members Inspect the New Facilities in Myanmar
by¬†Heather Lowe¬† From January 2009 to September 2010, TSA teams worked in Myanmar to develop concepts and designs for new breeding facilities for key chelonian program species. Building plans and budgets for new turtle and tortoise facilities were finalized in September 2010 and construction got underway shortly thereafter. Members of the TSA Board of Directors […]
TSA Europe Assists with Illegal Turtle Confiscations
by Henk Zwartepoorte Over the past few years in Hong Kong, large numbers of illegally imported and/or traded turtles have been confiscated. On one hand, these confiscations are a good sign of effective law enforcement, but on the other hand it indicates that the mass illegal trade in Asia is on-going. The CITES Hong Kong […]
Hicatee Conservation Workshops in Belize
by¬†Thomas Rainwater¬† Just a quick note to say we just successfully completed the first of two Hicatee (Central American River Turtle, Dermatemys mawii) Survey and Monitoring Workshops in Belize. This first workshop was conducted on the Rio Grande in southern Belize, near the town of Punta Gorda. The second workshop begins tomorrow on the New […]
Finishing Up the Hicatee Workshops in Belize
by¬†Thomas Rainwater¬† We just completed the second of our two Hicatee (Dermatemys mawii) Survey and Monitoring Workshops in Belize. After several days down south for the first workshop, this time we were up north on the New River Lagoon and associated tributaries. New River Lagoon is an approximately 27 mile long lagoon located in north-central […]
