Former Administrator Rears Tortoises for a Living in Kitui County, Kenya
Meet the man rearing over a thousand tortoises in Kitui County, Kenya. 71-year-old Peter Maundu isn’t like most other members of his community, as he has chosen to rear a variety of tortoise species on his five-acre farm in Voo village in Kitui East Constituency.
Maundu said: “Having realized that severe climatic conditions and inadequate rainfall could not sustain crops here, I chose to change tact and start a Tortoise Farm and of course with licensing from Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS)”
The license took three years for Maundu to obtain, stating he had to travel to Nairobi several times. One of the prerequisites for Maundu obtaining the license was that his farm had to be located in an area with plenty of suitable habitat for the pancake tortoise (Malacochersus tornieri) which is critically endangered in Kenya according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
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TheTurtleRoom Hatches IRS Egg
TheTurtleRoom (tTR) is pleased to announce that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has approved our application for federal tax-exempt status! TTR is now a public charity. As of August 18, 2018, anyone who has contributed to, or will contribute to, turtle conservation through tTR is able to deduct the contribution from his/her personal federal income taxes. You can lower your income tax liability by supporting tTR and having a direct impact on turtle conservation!
Steve Enders, tTR’s Executive Director, says “The IRS designation is a major win for turtle conservation and education. This status helps pave the way for us to continue and expand on programs…
Read the full press release available here as pdf
Turtle News From Around the World
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Education
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Obituaries
Japan: Great white shark chokes to death on sea turtle (Graphic)
Miscellany
Australia: Hawksbill Sea Turtle Adorns New 1 Oz Silver Coin
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Photo from Yobesh Onwong’a/KNA.
