by Hery Lova Razafimamonjiraibe
As our team continues to respond to the devastating flooding at our Lavavolo Tortoise Center in Madagascar, we are grateful to supporters like you for stepping up during this crisis. With the floodwaters having receded, we are working towards stability and recovery for the tortoises in our care. Thanks to your generosity, we are close to reaching our $150,000 goal for crucial recovery and rebuilding efforts.
As my colleague Tsanta shared last week, our response includes triaging the more than 11,000 tortoises rescued from the floods and developing treatment plans to help them recover. This is an ongoing process, and we still have weeks of assessment and treatment ahead as we work to stabilize these tortoises after the trauma of the flood. To date, our veterinary team has provided treatment for more than 10,000 of the surviving tortoises. As we look ahead, we know we must rebuild facilities to provide long-term, secure enclosures where these tortoises can thrive.
At Turtle Survival Alliance, we know that saving turtles and tortoises takes all of us. These past few weeks have been a dramatic reminder of how true that is. Our local staff has responded to this crisis with tremendous resilience, and we are grateful for support from near and far. From veterinary volunteers providing critical care, to community members volunteering to move tortoises to high ground and prepare thousands of kilograms of prickly pear cactus to feed them, to government partners providing critical support and ensuring the safety of both people and tortoises, we’ve been truly amazed by how many have come together to help.. What’s equally meaningful is that supporters like you around the world have responded with generous contributions to help us recover.
These efforts are just the beginning of what will be required from our team in the foreseeable future as we rAlthough we face a long road ahead as we rebuild, it’s this collaborative effort that gives me hope for what comes next.
Thank you once again for your unwavering support. Together, we will rebuild and create a brighter future for the community and tortoises we serve. Misaotra Betsaka (Thank you very much).
Hery Lova Razafimamonjiraibe
Country Director
Turtle Survival Alliance Madagascar
If you’d like to make an impact for the Madagascar staff and tortoises, consider a donation today. Give a gift that saves lives and rebuilds hope—your help is needed now more than ever.
Header image: Treating the tortoises requires thousands of doses of antibiotics, vitamins, and other veterinary resources, all secured thanks to the support of our donors. Note: These syringes, containing a solution of antibiotics and vitamins, were exposed to sunlight only for the purpose of capturing this photo.
