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About The Center

Conservation Center

Region

California, United States

About The Center

Situated on 10 acres of pristine nature in Ojai, California, the TC conservation center provides care to more than 500 turtles and 40 species, some of which are considered extinct in the wild. As an accredited Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) facility, the animals come to us via other AZA zoos, confiscations by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and rescue work with international organizations and governments.

Help us in our ongoing mission to save these unique animals and their habitats.

Fundraising Goal: $1,000,000

For land management

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Help us in our ongoing mission to save these unique animals and their habitats.

In 2003, Turtle Conservancy (TC) founders Eric Goode and Maurice Rodrigues were enlisted by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) to care for tortoises that were part of a breeding program operated on St. Catherine Island off the coast of Georgia. The animals were then moved to the TC for their care.

After a few months of construction, the conservation center was ready, with the tortoises arriving safely in 2005. Today the center is operated by a team of keepers, a veterinarian and associate director, volunteers, and interns.

THE CONSERVATION CENTER HAS THREE MISSIONS

  1. Maintaining assurance colonies for critically endangered animals.
  2. Maintaining a robust awareness and education program.
  3. Managing confiscations.

1. Conservation mission with assurance colonies

Among 42 different species currently kept at the center, many are listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN ) as endangered or critically endangered. The TC does its best to reproduce those species in order to maintain a genetic pool should they become extinct in the wild. To achieve our goals, we collaborate with different Species Survival Plans (SSP) within the AZA community.

Since 2009, almost 3,000 turtles and tortoises have hatched at the conservation center. About 40 different taxa have been bred and more than 20 conservation organizations have received TC turtles. Breeding these rare species in captivity also allows us to learn more about their ecology and biology, which can be applied to conservation management strategies in the wild.

Some of the notable hatchlings include: 

Complete list of successful hatchlings at the Ojai Conservation Center:

Spider Tortoise (Pyxis arachnoides) - Radiated Tortoise (Astrochelys radiata) - Impressed Tortoise (Manouria impressa) - Burmese Black Mountain Tortoise (Manouria emys phayrei) - Pancake Tortoise (Malacochersus tornieri) - Burmese Star Tortoise (Geochelone platynota) - Parrot-beaked Tortoise (Homopus areolatus) - Angulate Tortoise (Chersina angulata) - Ryukyu Leaf Turtle (Geoemyda japonica) - Big-headed Turtle (Platysternon megacephalum) - Mccord’s Snake-necked Turtle (Chelodina mccordi) - Arakan Forest Turtle (Heosemys depressa) - Spiny Turtle (Heosemys spinosa) - Sulawesi Forest Turtle (Leucocephalon yuwonoi)

2. Education mission

The center helps the Turtle Conservancy unite people of diverse interests and specialties to discover and learn about the broader melding of wildlife, art, science, and conservation.
We provide varied turtle education programs by partnering with private and public schools in the region, including an applied science curriculum with the Thacher School. The center regularly hosts university and higher education opportunities, including masters’ students, PhD candidates, and veterinary students.

Although the center is not open to the public, tours are offered to members and donors of the TC so they can interact with the animals in open-air habitats.

To learn more about Turtle Conservancy education programs, click here.
To book a tour click here.

3. Rescue mission and confiscations

More than 60% of the 365 species of turtles worldwide are considered to be threatened with extinction. One of the primary threats is illegal collection for food, traditional medicine, and pet trade. Each year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) locates and confiscates thousands of turtles being illegally shipped in or out of the United States. Poachers collect wild turtles, which are then packed into boxes and disguised as shipments of legitimate goods by smugglers attempting to transport them. Smugglers stuff turtles into bags or socks, and may tape them tightly so that they can not move, making them more challenging to detect.

Once intercepted by USFWS officers at ports like LAX, those animals are managed by the Wildlife Confiscations Network, organized by AZA. Turtle Conservancy is a founding member of this coalition, helping to identify, triage, and care for rescued animals. The majority of confiscations are Native American species such as Box turtles (Terrapene carolina), Wood turtles (Glyptemys insculpta). Unfortunately many Mexican species are also confiscated every year, mostly of the genus Terrapene and Rhinoclemmys. Those species are highly coveted luxury pets that are viewed as status symbols in Asia. In collaboration with the AZA SAFE American Turtle and Wildlife Confiscations Network, the Turtle Conservancy has rescued more than 500 turtles, including 169 in 2023, from 18 species. The estimated care for a single poached turtle is roughly $1,000 per animal in the first year. With some turtles living more than 100 years, the burden of housing and caring for confiscations is a serious problem. In 2024, for the first time ever, the TC successfully repatriated American turtles back into the wild in New Jersey after they were confiscated in California, in partnership with New Jersey Fish and Wildlife, USFWS, Northeast Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (NEPARC), and the AZA. This is a monumental step in allowing us to continue to take in rescues and confiscations.

Our work has been featured on NPR, CBS News, 60 Minutes, and The New Yorker.