Turtle Conservancy

This Radiated Tortoise (Astrochelys radiata) looks ready to tackle the week, and we could ALL use those vibes this Monday! Endemic to Madagascar, the Radiated Tortoise is known around the world for the spectacular patterns on their carapace (top of the shell). Sadly, not everyone admires them from afar, and their beauty has made them a target of the black market pet trade. Poaching, along with habitat loss, has decimated their wild populations, and they are now fighting extinction, classified by the IUCN as Critically Endangered.

This Eastern Long-necked Turtle (Chelodina longicollis) is eager to show off his handsome face, since their neck gets all the attention! You can see that serpentine namesake, coiled up like a snake behind him it probably gets annoying having to lug around a whole entire pool noodle for a neck, but it’s worth it, giving the species an advantage while hunting through their specialized strike-and-gape method that makes them no match for the fish they eat! After that lightening-quick strike, they suck the fish up like a vacuum before they even know what hit them!

On June 8th 2021, 555 juvenile African Spurred Tortoises (Centrochelys sulcata) were rescued by customs officers from a catastrophic international trafficking attempt by in Koudougou, Boulkiemdé province. These young tortoises were stuffed in wooden crates, cardboard boxes and canvas bags and hidden in the baggage compartment of a bus travelling between Bamako in Mali and Lomé in Togo. With the tortoises were forged CITES permits, giving the illusion of permission from the Co...nvention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora that the smugglers of course did not have. These tortoises, though commonly bred & kept as pets around the world, are endangered in the wild and listed in Appendix II, meaning their international trade is still allowed, but is monitored via export permits. The seizure, which will bring just a few more poachers to justice, is the result of the hard work & dedication to these animals between Mali Customs and Burkina Faso Customs! #turtleconservation #turtleconservancy #wildlifeconservation See more

It’s nesting season!! Watch for your slow & steady chelonian neighbors when you’re behind the wheel turtles all around the country are traveling across roads that separate them from their nesting grounds, and many crossing are females carrying an entire generation of eggs to lay. If it’s safe for you to do so, please pull over and help them across in the direction they were headed whenever you can DO NOT RELOCATE THEM! Just move them right across the way they were headed, they know the way! If you know a road where you often see turtles crossing or dead turtles in the road that doesn’t yet have a Turtle Crossing sign, reach out to your local officials and ask them to put one up!! Be a turtle hero today!

You can love on turtles both virtually and in person through becoming a member of the #TurtleConservancy today! Every level of membership helps turtles & tortoises both at our Conservation Center & around the world, and some even include a visit to our center to meet them yourself!! Join the Turtle Conservancy today and help us in our mission to protect threatened turtles and tortoises and their habitats worldwide. Visit our website to learn more!

This Giant Musk Turtle (Staurotypus salvinii) is giving us major Friday vibes! Admittedly though, this expressive fellow isn’t actually as excited for the weekend as we are (that’s just a human thing ). What he’s really doing is showing off that impressive maw just in case we get any ideas these guys have some of the strongest bite forces of any species of turtle! It’s mostly for crushing the hard shells of snails and other tasty shelled invertebrates, but they can certainly teach anything that tries to mess with them a lesson if they have to!