60 Minutes: The Race to Save the Tortoise

Turtle Ball

On September 28 the Turtle Conservancy held its third annual Turtle Ball at The Bowery Hotel in New York City.

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The Tortoise is a magazine dedicated to the appreciation and conservation of tortoises and turtles and their habitats worldwide.

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Christopher Walken Supports Turtle Conservation

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SE Asia Wildlife Trade

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PROMOTING THE WONDER OF TURTLES

The Turtle Conservancy is dedicated to protecting threatened turtles and tortoises and their habitats worldwide, and to promoting their appreciation by people everywhere.

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The Ploughshare Tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora) is the rarest tortoise in the world. Unfortunately they are being poached for the illegal pet trade in Asia. The TC is fighting to protect this species in the wild and at home. We currently hold the largest group outside of Madagascar via confiscated animals. We are hopeful that in the coming years we can successfully breed them, when our young males reach maturity. 🌱 Check out our work to save the ploughshare tortoise on the #turtleconservancy website! .
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#turtleconservancy #turtlesintrouble #wildlifeconservation #turtlesofinstagram #tortoisesofinstagram #tortoises #ploughsharetortoise #endangered #criticallyendangered

Found in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the Indian star tortoise (Geochelone elegans) inhabits a variety of dry vegetation types. Unfortunately, this species is declining and is being increasingly targeted for the illegal wildlife trade. check out our magazine The Tortoise on our website for more information! .
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#turtleconservancy #turtlesintrouble #wildlifeconservation #tortoisesofinstagram #startortoise #tortoises

Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) are native to Mexico and the United States as various subspecies. All of its subspecies hybridize naturally in various combinations through much of its range. This was once one of the most common pet store animals, but habitat loss and over collection have left them threatened and endangered in many states. .
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#turtleconservancy #turtlesintrouble #wildlifeconservation #turtlesofinstagram #turtles

The armored plates and scales on the Madagascan big-headed turtle, (Erymnochelys madagascariensis) seen here are a shared evolutionary trait shared by many turtles that cannot retract their heads into their shells. Can you name another species with this defense?
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#turtleconservancy #turtlesintrouble #wildlifeconservation #tortoisesofinstagram #turtlesofinstagram

Buddhist monks in Bagan, Myanmar hold and bless two Burmese star tortoises (Geochelone platynota). This species nearly became extinct in the early 2000’s but by establishing assurance colonies in Myanmar, it has enabled the populations to grow. Thanks to efforts by Steve and Kalyar Platt, we hope that in the near future there will once again be a large wild population of Burmese star tortoise in the wild. ⭐️ as an added bonus, before being released, every tortoise is blessed!
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#turtleconservancy #turtlesintrouble #wildlifeconservation #tortoisesofinstagram #tortoise #burmesestartortoise

The future of imperiled turtles and tortoises is in our hands! This is a baby Roti Island Snake-necked Turtle (Chelodina mccordi), a critically endangered species endemic to an area of only 27 square miles in the central highlands of Rote Island, Indonesia. As one of the most desired turtles on the black market, illegal poaching of this species are driving them towards extinction. In fact, the Roti Island Snake-necked turtle was so over-collected that the legal trade was prohibited in 2001 due to its rarity— all of this BEFORE the species was even scientifically described!
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#turtleconservancy #turtlesintrouble #wildlifeconservation #tortoisesofinstagram #turtlesofinstagram #rotiislandsnakeneckedturtle

You never know who else is a turtle lover out there! Here’s our friend Christopher Walken hanging out with this friendly red-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonaria)! Red-footed tortoises are native to the Amazon basin but can inhabit savanna and tropical ecosystems. They serve an important ecology role as seed dispensers for many trees and fruits! .
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#turtleconservancy #turtles #tortoises #tortoisesofinstagram #turtlesintrouble #christopherwalken #turtlesofinstagram #reptiles #animals #wildlifeconservation

African spurred tortoises (Centeochelys sulcata) at our conservation center in Ojai, California. They are the world’s 3rd largest tortoise species, and the largest of the African mainland, surpassed only by the giant island species from Aldabra and the Galápagos. Their scientific species name, sulcata, comes from the Latin word ’sulcus’ which means ‘furrow’, in reference to the deep, furrowed lines on their shells.
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#turtleconservancy #turtlesintrouble #turtlesofinstagram #wildlifeconservation #sulcatatortoise #tortoises #tortoisesofinstagram

Eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) are omnivores, and one study found that they eat over 130 different kinds of foods in the wild, including fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, worms, snails, small fish and even carrion! They have been found to be important seed dispersers for many species of plants-- some of the seeds they disperse have a better germination rate after passage through the Box Turtle’s gut! They are certainly an important part of every ecosystem they inhabit. Once very common across their expansive North American range, now, they are listed as a species that is in decline and Vulnerable to extinction due to rampant collection for the pet trade and habitat destruction. .
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#turtleconservancy #turtlesintrouble #turtlesofinstagram #boxturtle #easternboxturtle #turtles #reptiles #wildlifeconservation

Radiated Tortoises (Astrochelys radiata) are some of the most coveted animals in the wildlife black market trade, and it's easy to see why. They are absolutely beautiful, and sadly because of it, they are disappearing rapidly. The population of Radiated Tortoises across their native range in Madagascar has gone from 16 million to under 4 million in just 20 years. You can help them by becoming a member of the #TurtleConservancy today! .
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#turtlesintrouble #radiatedtortoises #radiatedtortoise #tortoises #turtlesofinstagram #tortoisesofinstagram #wildlifeconservation

@turtletweets

The Ploughshare Tortoise is the rarest tortoise in the world, & they are being poached for the illegal pet trade in… https://t.co/ELbqn8A9Np
about 50 minutes ago
Found in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the Indian Star Tortoise inhabits a variety of dry vegetation types. Unfort… https://t.co/cE2FatOF39
about 22 hours ago
Eastern Box Turtles are native to Mexico & the US as various subspecies. All of its subspecies hybridize naturally… https://t.co/s8NDLCqvv5
about a day ago
https://t.co/mOcNeROS8O
about 3 days ago
RT @LifeWoutPlastic: Make this the last America Recycles Day; it's time to celebrate zero waste and ban single-use plastics. https://t.co/8HLl8UboyD
about 3 days ago
Buddhist monks in Myanmar bless 2 Burmese star tortoises before release, a species that nearly became extinct. By e… https://t.co/6yJGAGKjEF
about 3 days ago
You never know who else is a turtle lover! Here’s our friend Christopher Walken hanging out with this friendly red-… https://t.co/q5zatYzjDe
about 5 days ago
RT @ZooMed: Mojave Max is Las Vegas' version of Punxsutawney Phil. Every fall, Max goes into his burrow to brumate. When the wa… https://t.co/xb6NcTMjwE
about 6 days ago
RT @RacingXtinction: Great news: #China, after public and international outcry, reinstates ban on #rhino and #tiger parts in medicine:… https://t.co/mUGOE32mEy
about 6 days ago
African spurred tortoises are the 3rd largest species surpassed only by the giant island species from Aldabra & the… https://t.co/h3I1NTrmoc
about 6 days ago

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