Donations to TSA

Posted on: Tuesday, March 4th, 2008

The TSA supports recovery efforts for the world’s most critically endangered turtles, both in captivity and in range countries where they occur. We have ongoing projects or programs in nine Asian countries and southern Mexico and we need your help. Please help us fulfill our promise of zero turtle extinctions in the 21st century. Support the TSA!

General Fund Donations help us to support the turtles through the following projects:

• Turtle Conservation by Richard Ogust. A decade ago, after an epiphany at a New York restaurant, Richard Ogust began dedicating his time and resources to rescuing endangered turtles - confiscating hundreds bound for Southeast Asian food markets. When the filmmakers catch up with the 50-year-old writer, he is sharing his Manhattan loft with 1,200 turtles, including five species extinct in the wild. But his growing “ark” and preservation efforts are threatening to exhaust him, both mentally and financially.
• Myanmar - for the Critically Endangered Burmese roofed turtle, once thought extinct but recently rediscovered. A small breeding nucleus was recently established at the Zoo in Mandalay and funds are desperately needed to expand their facilities.
• Vietnam - support for Cuc Phong Turtle Conservation Center near Hanoi, now recognized as a model for rescue centers in the region, where they conduct a wide range of activities including education, field surveys, turtle rescue and rehab, captive breeding, and training.
• India - developing a comprehensive conservation program for India’s freshwater turtles and tortoises, based at the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust (MCBT) in Chennai. This program will build on an infrastructure of existing facilities coupled with logistical support and knowledge of the MCBT staff.
• Malaysia - support for the emerging Setiu River Terrapin Conservation Program aimed at developing refined and science-based technologies for the recovery of the Mangrove and Painted terrapins (Batagur and Callagur)populations in Malaysia. In conjunction with KUSTEM (University College of Science and Technology Malaysia), this program will study the various recovery program components including egg incubation, headstarting and post-release survival monitoring.
• Asian Scholarship Program - support for New York Turtle & Tortoise Society’s (NYTTS) program that brings aspiring turtle biologists to the U.S. for a Summer training internship. Since 2000, eleven students have completed this model program and returned to their countries armed with the knowledge and skills to begin to protect their nation’s turtles.
• The Turtle Survival Alliance Partner Grant is an annual financial award to a partner whose grant application best represents the goals of the Turtle Survival Alliance.

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