Wildlife Trade Update

Wildlife Trade Update

The Turtle Conservancy continues to assist the US Fish and Wildlife Service in triage management of confiscated turtles and tortoises from the illegal wildlife trade. In total, the Turtle Conservancy has taken in over 100 animals in 2018. The majority of which are U.S. species being exported to Asia…

Crisis in Madagascar

Crisis in Madagascar

The Turtle Conservancy is on the forefront of the fight against the illegal wildlife trade in Madagascar. We work on both ends of the supply chain in Madagascar and Asia. Numerous articles and network news stories have covered our work fighting the trade in endangered tortoises, including CBS 60 Minutes, Charlie Rose, The New Yorker, click on the link below to learn more and make a donation today. Give your gift today to save Madagascar's imperiled tortoises.

Official Launch of the Indian Ocean Tortoise Alliance (IOTA)

Official Launch of the Indian Ocean Tortoise Alliance (IOTA)

In a bold move to stress the pivotal role of the Aldabra tortoise in regional ecosystem restoration, as well as shed light on the plight of this particular species in the face of climate change and human interference, a collective of conservationists and philanthropists have announced the establishment of the Indian Ocean Tortoise Alliance (IOTA), on the occasion of the first edition of the Paris Peace Forum – a new annual meeting for global governance actors…

TC Board Meeting

TC Board Meeting

The Turtle Conservancy held its fall 2018 board meeting in Alamos, Mexico this month. We had a productive and beautiful three days spending time in the field and discussing Mexican land stewardship with representatives of international and regional NGOs.

Vote for the Environment

Vote for the Environment

What can you do, you ask? Vote. VOTE. VOTE. VOTE!! The midterm elections on November 6 offer all Americans a chance to shape our (and the turtles’) future for the better. If you believe that climate change is real, if you don't like wildlife poaching, if you don't want to see even more endangered turtles and other wildlife go extinct, you can vote for candidates who share your values. Vote! The turtles are counting on you...

Conservation Center Improvements

We have been busy transitioning the turtles to fall temperatures in southern California at the same time our Conservation Center has undergone many improvements to the animal husbandry facilities during the month of October. The large greenhouse that houses the asian species of turtles got a major facelift, with all new enclosures and ponds to better fit the needs of the turtles living within. We sunk galvanized metal troughs into the ground to create individual ponds for our Chinese big-headed turtles. And began the process of updating the setups in the small greenhouse to fully maximize the space — we expect to have this complete by the end of next month.

Many thanks to the dedicated team who made all of this possible: Juan Hernandez, Lukasz Pogorzelski, Armando Jimenez, Noel Martinez, Julio Zarrate, Simon R., and Oscar Centeno!

In Memory of Bill Branch

In Memory of Bill Branch

The wildlife world mourns the passing of William R. Branch, one of the preeminent turtle biologists of Africa. There, Bill carved out a niche as the world’s leading authority on African freshwater turtles and tortoises, epitomized in his book, Tortoises, Terrapins and Turtles of Africa.

In Case You Missed Us...

In Case You Missed Us...

The Turtle Conservancy Team was in attendance at many incredible conferences this month, including the WCN Expo in San Francisco, the Student Conference on Conservation Science in New York City, and the Bioneers Conference in San Rafael. Hats off to the organizers — We know how much effort and dedication it takes to produce a successful conservation event...

Species Highlight

Species Highlight

Did you know? Gopherus agassizii or the Mojave Desert Tortoise (Cooper 1861) gets its name from the word Gopher referring to the family of Geomyidae, small rodents known for their incredible ability to dig burrows (often through your garden!). The species name, agassizii, is a tribute to the Americano-Swiss naturalist Louis Agassiz. This burrowing tortoise is found in Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah...

2018 Indianapolis Prize Winner

2018 Indianapolis Prize Winner

On Saturday, September 29th Harrison Ford and Dr. Russell Mittermeier, along with five finalist, were honored in the Frank and Katrina Basile Theater in Indianapolis, IN. For his dedicated advocacy and outreach, Harrison Ford received the Jane Alexander Global Wildlife Ambassador Award, and Russ, lifelong conservationist and TC Board Member, received the Indianapolis Prize, a biennial award known as the Nobel Prize of conservation...

2018 AZA Conference

2018 AZA Conference

As the world’s only AZA certified turtle and tortoise facility, we participated in the AZA conference again this year. Many zoos and aquariums stopped by our booth to learn about how we’ve protected over 50,000 acres of wild land for turtles and tortoises…

Species Highlight

Species Highlight

The Okinawa Leaf Turtle is a cryptic species, with a highly colorful red to yellow pattern. This turtle has been highly desired by collectors, but at the same time scientist didn’t know a lot about this animal…

Welcome to the Team!

Welcome to the Team!

Let's all give a warm welcome to the newest member of the Turtle Conservancy Team, Thomas Owens! Tommy has come to us after 17 years at the San Diego Zoo, and is now the TC's curator and director of regional field programs. He will be leading our effort to conserve the Southern Western Pond Turtle!

Saving the Pacific Leatherback

Saving the Pacific Leatherback

Please support our efforts in conjunction with Paso Pacifico in the construction of two new hatcheries in Nicaragua to protect nests from poachers and predators. Help us reach our goal of $8,000 by October 1st!