U.S. Government Provides Critical Support to the Turtle Survival Alliance

For Immediate Release December 01, 2020U.S. Embassy Madagascar/USAID MadagascarPhone: +261/20-23-48000 x 2584 | AntananarivoPress@state.gov Phone: +261/20-23-48000 x 2730 | agklei@usaid.gov U.S. Government Provides Critical Support to the Turtle Survival Alliance$150,000 grant will ensure the survival of more than 24,000 confiscated tortoises ANTANANARIVO – The COVID-19 pandemic threatens more than the health and livelihoods of Madagascar’s […]

Volunteers Make a Huge Impact at the TSC

by¬†Heather Lowe¬† The TSC was slammed by a powerful ice storm on February 12. The ice didn’t last long, but the impact was significant, leaving behind tree damage reminiscent of a hurricane. Luckily, there was no damage done to any of the buildings on the property. Since there was already a volunteer event scheduled for […]

Hugh Quinn Assumes New Role with the TSA

by¬†Heather Lowe¬† Hugh Quinn (TSA Board) is the new Chair of the TSA’s Animal Management committee. Hugh visited the Turtle Survival Center (TSC) recently and spent a busy week working on a range of projects. He was on site mainly to review current animal management policies and procedures, and to “ground truth” our collection plan […]

Spring Brings a Buzz of Activity at the TSC

by¬†Heather Lowe¬† The Turtle Survival Center recently welcomed several groups of volunteers in late March and early April. On March 22, volunteers from Hofstra University and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences visited South Carolina and quickly got to work. During their time there, the group worked with TSC staff to finish gathering the […]

Turtles Seized in Senegal

by¬†Heather Lowe¬† A group of 12 turtles were seized in late May at the airport of Dakar LLS and assigned to the TSA Africa team by the CITES authorities of Senegal.¬†The group was comprised of four African softshell turtles (Trionyx tringuis), four Home’s hinge-back tortoises (Kinixys homeana), two Serrated hinge-back tortoises (Kinixys erosa) and two […]

An Update on the World’s Most Endangered Turtle

by¬†Rick Hudson¬† Gerald Kuchling returned from China recently with news that was not good but not unexpected. The male Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle (Rafetus swinhoei)¬†at the Suzhou Zoo is not getting the job done. With hundreds of eggs laid since 2008 by the Changsha Zoo female, but without hatching or even¬†signs of fertility, frustration has […]

Largest Tortoise Confiscation in Madagascar’s History

by¬†Heather Lowe¬† On the evening of June 2, Air Madagascar Flight MD 151 from Hahaya Airport returned 968 tortoises to Madagascar, after they were confiscated in the Comoros Islands. The group was comprised of all Radiated tortoises (Astrochelys radiata), with the exception of one Ploughshare tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora). All of them are juveniles and the […]

Construction Continues at the TSC

by¬†Heather Lowe¬† Dirt continues to fly at the Turtle Survival Center (TSC), with a multitude of new construction projects and renovations happening concurrently. The veterinary clinic at the Center received a full face-lift recently, knocking out walls and reconfiguring the space to make it much more usable and accessible. The lab has been enlarged and […]

TSA Commends China and Pakistan on Repatriation

by¬†Heather Lowe¬† On Monday, August 18, 2014, authorities of the People’s Republic of China handed over 204 Black Pond Turtles (Geoclemys hamiltonii) to the authorities of Pakistan. The animals, mostly adults, had been confiscated on 15 June 2014 in the Tajik Autonomous County of Taxkorgan, in northwest China’s Xinjian Uygur Autonomous Region, which borders Pakistan. […]

New River Terrapin Joins the Colony in Bangladesh

by¬†Heather Lowe¬† In one of the TSA’s most grassroots (and successful!) programs, team member Rupali Ghosh regularly visits fishing villages throughout southern Bangladesh, scouring markets and private ponds for any remnant individuals of the Critically Endangered Sundarbans River Terrain (Batagur baska). Through her hard work and determination, a breeding colony with fourteen males and six […]

Meet the Team

by Heather Lowe Carol Alvarez – Veterinary Care Manager and Operations Specialist Carol was born with a love for animals and has always gravitated to the “underdogs.” She was given her first pet turtle at age 7 and by age 9 she was training domestic animals, followed by exotics, and then working with wildlife. She […]

Community Support Grows for the TSC

by¬†Heather Lowe We have been welcomed with open arms by the community in the South Carolina low-country since opening the Turtle Survival Center (TSC) in 2013. The generosity of our neighbors, both individual and corporate, has been very much appreciated. Some of the donations received at the TSC just this summer are listed here. ‚Ä¢ […]