We were very excited this week to receive this picture from Herilala Randriamahazo, our Tortoise Conservation Coordinator in Madagascar. This is our first glimpse at the school that the TSA is building in the village of Antsakoamasy! In March 2011, Rick Hudson traveled to Madagascar and met up with Christina Castellano (The Orianne Soceity) and Herilala to develop a strategy to protect remaining populations of the rapidly disappearing radiated tortoise. You can read a full report about their trip here.

During their visit, they met with the leaders of Antsakoamasy, a village that had previously been identified as having a strong protective attitude toward the tortoises that remain in the area. Prior to their visit, Herilala had been working for many months to forge a relationship with the community of Antsakoamasy and while Rick and Christina were visiting, a formal agreement was made with the village: in exchange for continued protection of radiated tortoises, the TSA agreed to build the community a school. The agreement was commemorated with a traditional zebu festival in March and there is no doubt that the school's grand opening in March 2012 will be celebrated with equal vigor!

The TSA is confident that providing conservation incentives like these will encourage other villages in Madagascar to protect and value their tortoises. Hopefully, this collaboration will serve as a model for future conservation initiatives in other areas of the country.

Management of a sustainable captive population of the critically endangered Sulawesi forest turtle (Leucocephalon yuwonoi) has been a priority of the TSA since its inception. A Taxon Management Plan was established in 2003 to develop a census of the known worldwide captive specimens of this species, monitor reproductive efforts, and facilitate breeding exchanges. Over the past nine years, approximately seventy founder specimens have been reported to the TMP, and we strongly suspect that there may be an additional one hundred specimens in captivity. Beginning as early as 1998, observations of captive females indicated that they generally produce only one (rarely two) eggs per clutch, and that they may lay several clutches per year. For several years, eggs were produced in several collections but appeared to be infertile. The first known hatching in captivity occurred in 2003 in the collection of the author. Since that time, slow but steady improvement has been seen in egg fertility, hatching, and rearing success at several private facilities and zoological institutions. To date, five hatchings have occurred in the author’s collection, “several” hatchings have occurred in the collection of a private breeder in California, one hatching occurred in the collection of Brian Duracka, two hatchings in the collection of TSA member Frank Passamonte, and one hatching in the collection of TSA member Dr. Greg Fleming.

Among zoos, the first and most sustained success has been achieved by the Münster Zoo, Germany, which reported five hatchings between 2006 and 2010. In the United States, a hatchling recently emerged at Zoo Atlanta, and most recently, a hatchling emerged at Denver Zoo on January 23, 2012. Hatchlings have generally been hardy, although several have died soon after birth and one died at five years of age. At this time, we are aware of at least twelve surviving captive bred juveniles. To date, five of these specimens have been relocated among TSA partners for long-term rearing. We hope to successfully raise these to adulthood, and eventually making genetically sound breeding recommendations for these individuals.

The known world population of Yangtze giant softshell turtles (Rafetus swinhoei) presently counts four living specimens: two in separate lakes in the northern part of Vietnam (Red River drainage) and two in China where the only confirmed female from Changsha Zoo is on breeding loan at Suzhou Zoo since 2008, paired with the only surviving male in China. The male at the Suzhou Zoo appears to be very old and, despite many mating interactions over the last years, none of the numerous eggs the female laid annually produced any hatchlings and all eggs of 2011 were infertile.

Several surveys for Rafetus swinhoei took place over recent years in Vietnam, Laos and China. One of the two specimens in Vietnam, probably a middle-aged adult male, was discovered during such a survey in Dong Mo Lake in the Red River drainage in 2007. A survey along the Red River in Yunnan conducted by Conservation International in February 2007 confirmed the historic occurrence of the species in the Red River in Yunnan and listed several individuals which were recorded up to 1998, but could not find firm evidence for more recent captures or sightings.

The TSA funded a fact-finding mission to the Red River in Yunnan in September 2011 to confirm the information and data reported in 2007. Unfortunately, the team (led by Dr. Gerald Kuchling) also did not find evidence of recent sightings of the species. The main goal of their mission was to visit all Forestry Bureaus in Yunnan where Rafetus had been reported in the past to find out about past and current attempts to collect data on the species. They discovered that all Forestry Bureaus were aware of the rare and threatened status and the significance of the species and are monitoring the respective markets where softshell turtles are traded with the aim to rescue any Rafetus which might be offered for sale.

The New Year is officially here and it’s time for us to say THANK YOU!  In early December, we presented you with a challenge from our Board of Directors and the Andrew Sabin Family Foundation.  Their generous offer was to match (dollar for dollar) any donations that came in prior to December 31, up to $34,000.  The “President’s Challenge” quickly gained steam and another board member upped the ante to $36,500.  Before long, that goal had once again been surpassed with a flurry of donations that ranged in size from $5 to $5,000!

When we went back to the Board on December 28 and told them that their challenge had not only been met, but exceeded, some of them were so thrilled that they offered up additional matching funds, bringing our potential match to $44,000!  We scrambled to spread the word about this new goal and were amazed by the response that we received; you not only stepped up to that last challenge, but once again exceeded it!  In the end, more than $100,000 has been raised for chelonian conservation.

Once again, we are truly humbled by your willingness to invest in the critical conservation work being done by the TSA and its partners around the world. Keep an eye out for our electronic newsletter, website, and Facebook page in the coming year for updates on the many exciting projects that these funds will support for turtles and tortoises globally. Your support is what makes this work possible and we sincerely thank you all for being a part of the Turtle Survival Alliance.

89 turtles of 8 species arrived at Amsterdam airport on September 16, after having been rescued from a confiscation of an illegal shipment in Hong Kong. TSA Europe spearheaded efforts to place the turtles within their conservation network that includes European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA) Zoos and European Studbook Foundation (ESF) private collections throughout Europe. The shipment included 73 radiated tortoises, two spider tortoises, five Burmese star tortoises, one Indian star tortoise, five yellow-margined box turtles, one Japanese pond turtle, one Pancake tortoise and one yellow pond turtle.

All of the animals arrived in good health and some were transferred immediately to their final destinations at various locations within the ESF accompanied by a loan contract. The radiated tortoises were temporarily homed at the Rotterdam Zoo for quarantine, as CITES documents had to be issued before they could be moved to other facilities. Eventually, they were sent to following European zoos: the Plock, Wroclaw and Opole Zoos (Poland), Santa Inacio (Portugal), A Cupulatta (France), Antwerp Zoo (Belgium), Paignton Zoo (England) and Copenhagen Zoo and Terrariet Vissenbjerg (Denmark).

Assisting with this rescue operation allowed for a large number of turtles to be secured for captive breeding programs, boosting safety net populations for these rare species. Shipping costs for operations such as this place a severe burden on the budget of TSA Europe. To donate funds to offset some of these costs, please click here.

Sheena Koeth (Cleveland Metroparks Zoo), Yaduraj Khadpekar (Wildlife SOS, India) and Sue Carstairs (Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre in Ontario, Canada) traveled in October to the Kukrail Turtle Breeding Centre in Lucknow, the Garhaita Turtle Conservation Centre (near Etawah) and the Deori Eco-Centre in Madhya Pradesh. The three, all veterinarians or veterinary technicians, provided suggestions on how to improve the overall turtle husbandry and gave input on how to make a more efficient diet chart for the turtles in each facility. An overall health assessment of the captive stock turtles was also conducted. Their input has proven to be extremely useful in improving the health management of the turtles at each facility. During their visit, new disease diagnostic tools were developed, along with quick reference charts that will help with mortality assessment and growth rate measurement at the headstarting facility in Garhaita.

You may have read about the recent reintroduction of confiscated radiated tortoises into the Ampotaka sacred forest in September. These tortoises (157 total) had been confiscated from Ivato International Airport in July and the TSA was appointed by the authority to look after them. All of the tortoises were measured and weighed as part of their exam prior to release. After a full evaluation, ten juvenile tortoises did not meet the release criteria on September 19 and were instead kept in the village of Ampotaka to allow for a longer recovery period prior to their reintroduction.

Ampotoka is the site of a prior tortoise release in March 2011 and has a history of collaboration with the TSA. During their meetings with the TSA in March, local leaders communicated a commitment to tortoise protection in their sacred forest. However, they faced many challenges - primarily an inability to communicate with authorities to report poaching in the area. To do so, they had to walk for days to Beloha because phone communication was not avaiable. At that time, the TSA agreed to buy a cell phone for the village.

Recognizing that future conservation efforts for Burmese star tortoises (Geochelone platynota) hinge on developing successful captive breeding programs to supply tortoises for eventual reintroduction into protected habitats, assurance colonies were established at Yadanabon Zoological Gardens (Mandalay), and at the Minzontaung, Lawkanandar, and Shwe Settaw wildlife sanctuaries. To date, these programs have enjoyed considerable success and large numbers of hatchlings are being produced each year. Consequently, these facilities will soon reach maximum capacity and there is an urgent need to initiate carefully planned and monitored reintroductions of G. platynota into suitable habitat in protected areas of Myanmar. To this end, we revisited two previously identified sites (Shwe Settaw and Minzontaung wildlife sanctuaries) known to harbor populations of G. platynota, and evaluated the potential of each area for future reintroductions of captive bred tortoises.

With the glass barriers around both ponds at Suzhou Zoo having been completed in the summer of 2010, the male and the female Yangtze giant softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) have roamed together in both the small and the large pond since 24 August 2010. For the first time, the male and the female were together throughout fall, winter and spring. Following hibernation, the male and the female became active on 25 March 2011 when they both were seen basking. Abrasions on the neck and front limbs of the female when she emerged from hibernation indicated mating attempts during fall/winter (the male grabs the neck of the female with his jaws prior to mounting). The turtles' diet in 2011 consisted of pieces of fresh fish with skin and bones, whole freshwater crayfish, freshwater snails, sausages filled with a mixture of fresh, high quality minced fish, freshwater crayfish, prawns, egg shells, vitamin and calcium supplements, and chicken heads and wings. The sausages are readily eaten by both the female and the male, ensuring good nutrition.

For the second time in 6 months, Rick Hudson (TSA) and Christina Castellano (The Orianne Society) teamed up to work in the south of Madagascar, continuing to look for solutions to the ongoing Radiated Tortoise crisis (see March 2011 trip report here). We came prepared this time with a highly capable field crew, the Mozambique-based Moz Images, consisting of cameraman Chris Scarffe and photo-journalist Aaron Gekoski.  Moz Images specializes in underwater photography but does land-based projects too, and they are highly adept at exposing various wildlife issues globally.  Their most recent project, Shiver, examines the shark-finning industry in Mozambique, click here to view a clip. The film that they were working on during this trip will be a short six-minute video, in three languages (French, English and Malagasy) that will be widely available for posting on various web and social media sites in order to expose the Radiated tortoise tragedy internationally. It will also be made available to TV stations in Madagascar and shown to many villages throughout southern Madagascar, particularly those impacted by, or participating in, tortoise poaching.