Volunteering in the greenhouse habitat, several Mount Olive High School students care for the animals, learn skills in the field of biology and ecology, and participate in a rehabilitation program for the animals. The students are currently helping rehabilitate several turtles for the Turtle Conservancy, an organization that helps protect over 300 species of endangered turtles throughout the world. These turtles will be returned to the care of Maurice Rodrigues in May, one of the founders of the program…
Species Highlight
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…
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...
Species Highlight
Saving the Pacific Leatherback
The Russians Are Here!
Along with interfering in American elections, the Russians have now established themselves at the Turtle Conservancy–Russian tortoises, that is. Ten of the tortoises arrived over this summer as homeless rescues, abandoned when their owners tired of them. Our Russians are settling in nicely; they are completely uninterested in computers, so we're not concerned about their hacking into our systems...
Madagascar Update
As previously reported, 10,976 Critically Endangered Radiated tortoises were discovered in Toliara, a town on the southwestern coast of Madagascar. Authorities received complaints of a disturbing smell of death and excrement coming from a two-story house. Upon inspection, thousands of juvenile tortoises occupied the floors, sinks, and bathtubs. They had no food, no water and were lying in their own waste. Over 500 were already dead…
Crisis in Madagascar!
Saving Madagascar’s Ploughshare Tortoise
Saving the Imperiled Palawan Forest Turtle
Through the efforts of our partner the Katala Foundation, Inc. (KFI), and with support from Rainforest Trust, Global Wildlife Conservation and Turtle Conservancy, the local government of Mendoza with the support of the municipal government of Roxas, Palawan, designated 1890 acres of forest lands as a Protected Watershed, in effect creating a wildlife protection area which will directly benefit the Critically Endangered Palawan Forest Turtle.
AZA Awards TC $25,500 for Ploughshare Tortoise Conservation
US Fish & Wildlife Service Media Event
The Turtle Conservancy works alongside the US Fish and Wildlife Service to help facilitate law enforcement and seizures of illegally traded turtles and tortoises. When live turtles and tortoises are confiscated in and around Los Angeles International Airport, the TC offers free accommodations for these homeless travelers, some of whom originate halfway around the world in places like Southeast Asia.
Operation Jungle Book, a law enforcement initiative led by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service that targeted wildlife smuggling, has resulted in federal criminal charges against 16 defendants who allegedly participated in the illegal importation and/or transportation of numerous animal species – including a tiger, monitor lizards, cobras, Asian “lucky” fish, turtles, exotic songbirds and several coral species…
Partnering in Peru
The Endangered Species Act might need to add itself to the list
17th Conference of the Parties to CITES
The Turtle Conservancy's director of international conservation programs, Peter Paul van Dijk recently returned from the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The conference was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from September 24th to October 5th.