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Indonesia

Home to at least three endemic species - two ranked Critically Endangered - Indonesia has become a top conservation priority for the TSA.  We have initiated painted terrapin (Batagur borneoensis) projects in Sumatra that focus on nesting beach monitoring, and will soon launch a program in Sulawesi aimed at improving our ability to protect  the  forest turtle (Leucocephalon yuwonoi) and Forsten’s tortoise (Indotestudo forsteni).  Both of these unique Sulawesi endemics are poorly known and under increasing threat from collectors.  Ex situ, the TSA manages a captive breeding program for the Roti island snakeneck turtle (Chelodina mccordi), now functionally extinct in the wild.

TSA Assisting with Illegal Turtle Shipment Seized in Hong Kong

wy6v0788One of the biggest undertakings the TSA is facing in the coming weeks is one that we couldn't have planned for - a major confiscation of smuggled turtles and tortoises in Hong Kong. Our friends at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG) in Hong Kong contacted us in February seeking our assistance. The government had seized approximately 1,300 turtles, including over 150 endangered Asian Temple Turtles (Heosemys/Hieremys annandalii) and almost 200 critically endangered Madagascan Radiated Tortoises (Astrochelys radiata), and did not have the resources to house or care for the animals.

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