World Turtle News

Long Island’s Malaclemys terrapin Die-Off Mistery Solved Back in April 2015 hundreds of Malaclemys terrapin were found dead in Long Island. The species already suffered from a 60% declined in recent years. It took several months of effort and a strong collaboration between the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) biologists and a local wildlife rehabilitator, Cornell’s Wildlife Health Program (WHP) to determine […]

Maharashtra in India to study Lepidochelys olivacea migratory route In a first for Maharashtra and the west coast, Olive Ridley turtles at various beaches at Ratnagiri will be tagged to understand their migratory pattern. Maharashtra will be the second state in India, after Odisha, to understand their breeding pattern and movement. In a joint effort by state forest department and mangrove cell, the tagging process

Missile Launches Cause Concern Over Lepidochelys olivacea Nesting in India An alarming turn of events on Abdul Kalam Island has raised great concern for the nesting Lepidochelys olivacea near Gahiramatha beach. Recently the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) fired a supersonic endo-atmospheric Advanced Area Defence (AAD) interceptor missile from the island which raised the alarm for scientists. They worry that the sea turtles will

Turtle Survival Alliance Announces Groundbreaking Project in Vital Biodiversity Hotspot The Turtle Survival Alliance recently announced their newest conservation project, which will focus on the chelonians of Columbia. Columbia is a highly diverse biodiversity hotspot, featuring 27 chelonian taxa and nine families. They are partnering with the Wildlife Conservation Society to develop an effective strategy to conserve the native and critically endangered species which reside

Rare, lethargic Platysternon megacephalum being trained to regain its wild side Since arriving at the World Freshwater Aquarium Aquatotto Gifu in June 2015, the turtle has appeared devoid of all drive, mainly staying idle in the corner of its tank. Yuka Kondo, a 26-year-old animal trainer at Aquatotto Gifu, is currently helping the lethargic big-headed turtle reclaim its wild side. Click the link to find

Sea Turtle X-rays Present a Solemn Reminder to Protect Our Fragile Ecosystems Could a turtle really become a gold mine? This unfortunate sea turtle was the victim of such a phenomenon. “Piggy Bank” was discovered by a group of locals and was transported to the Royal Thai Navy Sea Turtle Conservation Center in Chonburi province, where veterinarians performed x-rays to determine the cause of an

Monumental Release of Juvenile Natator depressus Marks an Exciting Move Towards Conservation Efforts Tuesday marked an exciting point in the conservation of Natator depressus, which is a vulnerable species with an unusually small range, found only in Australian waters. A group of these turtles were raised from hatchlings at Sea Life Sunshine Coast until one year of age before being released off Bundaberg coast. Not

Turtles and tortoises take centre stage at Delhi The third National Freshwater Turtle and Tortoise Strategic Conservation Action Planning and Red List Assessment Workshop took place in Delhi from February 16 to 18, 2017. Nature inFocus was present at this meeting that had gathered some of the top minds in the country to discuss the status of chelonian conservation, which is at a critical juncture

28 years of Lepidochelys olivacea conservation on Chennia’s beaches The SSCTN has been carrying out their annual patrols for the last 28 years, determined to ensure that the Olive Ridley turtle does not pass away into extinction. Turtle conservation on the Chennai coast began in 1971, when a few dedicated wildlife enthusiasts began walking the beaches of Madras to document the status of and threats