From Prison Island to Tortoise Haven The island of Changuu off the Zanzibar coast in Tanzania has performed may roles in its past. From a slave hold in the 19th century, a quarantine station for yellow fever suffers and now a tourist stop. The island is also home to several Aldabra giant tortoises (Aldabrachelys gigantea), the oldest of which is approximately 191 years old. The […]

Sea Turtle Receives a 3-D orthopaedic chin made of titanium Nine months ago, a Caretta caretta (Loggerhead Sea Turtle) was hit by the propeller of a boat, rupturing the turtle’s right side of the chin in the Turkish city of Bodrum (map of Turkey). The animal, named “AKUT 3,” has been suffering from indigestion and has been fed only small fish by hand for nine

Eco-passages for turtles to cross roads safely aren’t meeting expectations Scientists recently released the results of a survey on the effectiveness of eco-passages as safe crossings for turtles, tortoises, and other reptiles. Sadly, they haven’t been as effective as hoped. The biggest concern is that turtles don’t use them without guidance forcing them to do so. We’re not surprised by this, as their natural inclination

Green sea turtle population discovered in a river in Southern California Between 30 and 100 turtles were discovered in the 3-mile stretch of the San Gabriel River in Long Beach. The river is a mix of salt and fresh water, and the area is equipped with two power plants on each side of the river that suck in cold ocean water to cool their generating

People love turtles Judging from the 800+ people who passed through the doors of the Kawartha Turtle Truama Centre in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada during their four hour open house, interest in how they are helping turtles was high. We’re big fans of the work KTTC is doing and are excited that so many people came out to this event. Great to see awareness happening of

Bellinger Turtle crisis update on Monday The Department of Primary Services are holding an open house for members of the public seeking an update on the crisis. It will be interesting to here their findings. So far more that 300 turtles have died from the virus which is traveling up stream. Turtle News From Around the World Education Montana State University graduate student fascinated with

Conservationist murders threaten Costa Rica’s eco-friendly reputation In May of 2013, a young conservationist was killed on a beach by poachers, as he protected sea turtle eggs. In January, all 7 men tried for the crime were acquitted, as evidence was thrown out because it violated protocol or seemingly disappeared from the courthouse. Sadly, this is a growing problem – in Costa Rica and around

Jurassic European Sea Turtles Suffered From Changing Sea Levels Remains of the supposed oldest sea turtle species was found in the Baetic Cordillera in Jaén 6 years ago. It is still not clear what group the primitive species Hispaniachelys prebetica, considered the oldest southern Europe species, belongs to. A researcher in the evolutionary biology group of the UNED, Adan Pérez-Garcia, studied and analyzed the fossil’s