Conservationists are working hard to save Batagur affinis
In a story I got to hear first-hand from WCS herpetologist Steve Platt at the recent Turtle Survival Alliance conference, 24 head-started Southern River Terrapins were soft-released in July. Like many recent successful efforts, community involvement where former poachers now protect the nests, is an integral part of this success. In the all-too-typical story of turtles and their eggs being harvested for food, this species was thought to be extinct until 2001 when they were re-discovered. Now, they are being returned from the brink.
Turtle News From Around the World
Conservation
The Georgia Sea Turtle Center released 40 Loggerhead Sea Turtles off Jekyll Island.
An adult male Loggerhead Sea Turtle washed up onto Rehoboth Beach on August 10th.
Ecology
How the California Gold Rush impacted the Galapagos tortoises.
Get an ecological education with a trip to South Padre Island.
Crime & Punishment
Person of interest identified in vandalism of Anna Maria Island sea turtle nests.
Tens of thousands of sea turtle eggs taken in poaching spree in Mexico.
A band of poachers were arrested in Nayarit, Mexico in possession of 372 sea turtle eggs.
Illinois man sentenced for turtle-related wildlife violations in Louisiana.
Education
A Kent Island man publishes a children’s book telling a story of children saving a turtle from seagulls.
Miscellany
In a common summer tale, two tortoises have again gone missing, one in Snaresbrook (UK) and one in Christiansburg, VA.
Meanwhile, another missing tortoise leads to the arrest of a man wanted for sexual assault near Houston, TX
Did You Know…
Batagur affinis, the Southern River Terrapin, was not only thought to be extinct in Cambodia until 2001, but was thought to be synonymous with Batagur baska until approximately 2009.
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Photo by WCS
