tortoise news

Dahanu rehab centre in India to receive upgrade The centre currently treats 60 turtles a year, but has basic facilities and the forest department has plans to set up a state-of-the-art turtle rescue rehabilitation and awareness centre at Dahanu. There has been a rapid increase in the number of turtles getting washed ashore on the coastal stretch and there is a need to upgrade the […]

Generous Funding Awarded to Deserving Organizations Dedicated to Conservation Twenty-nine programs were recently awarded grants for conservation, education, and and research, thanks to the Sea Turtle Grants Program. These programs are focused on Florida sea turtles, and funds were raised as part of a campaign using the sale of specialty license plates. Florida residents raised over $360,000 through the purchase of these conservation-themed plates, and

USFSM researcher, students assess tortoises’ campus habitat The gopher tortoises that inhabit six acres at USF Sarasota-Manatee’s entrance were once a source of concern to environmentalists as construction got underway for the new campus. Now the creatures are under the watchful eye of a USFSM researcher and group of students. Dr. Banner and her students started mapping the burrows and identifying forage plants after she

Australian Conservationist Takes His Hobby to Great Lengths Never Imagined Who knew that what started for a Riverland, AU resident as a simple enjoyable hobby would turn into the revival of a species threatened with extinction? After 60 years in the commercial turtle business, John Bannear now operates a turtle sanctuary dedicated to breeding and head-starting Emydura macquarii. He maintains an outstanding yearly release rate

Students successfully push for ‘turtle crossing’ signs Two eighth-graders are working with local governments to help turtles survive treacherous roadway crossings during mating season. Students at Prairie Crossing Charter School in Grayslake — have persuaded officials in Fremont Township and Gurnee to install “turtle crossing” signs warning drivers on roads near turtle habitats. “We were told we could do anything to help our community, so

Reef diver finds missing sea turtle transmitter A satellite transmitter crucial to the Bermuda Turtle Project has been found by a reef diver in the Bahamas. According to the Bermuda Zoological Society, the recovery has enabled them to put together a “remarkably complete” track of Hardy’s migration — although the turtle’s whereabouts today remains a mystery. Describing Hardy’s progress in a press release, BZS stated:

Mass Relocation of Gopherus agassizii to be Carried out by the U.S. Marines Fifteen hundred Gopherus agassizii will find themselves stripped of their home range this week. As a result of a vote from Congress, the Marine Corps have been granted 88,000 acres of land to add to the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms. The marines will be partnering with biologists

MEDASSET launches new online game “TEAM TURTLE” The international environmental NGO MEDASSET (Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles), launched an online game called “TEAM TURTLE” at the 37th International Sea Turtle Symposium (15 – 20 April 2017, Las Vegas Nevada, USA). The game which is aimed at 5-8 year olds enables the young players to take on the role of “rescuer” or “helper”. They

Incredible Discovery of Critically Endangered Batagur trivittata a Massive Success for Conservation It was just an ordinary yearly Batagur egg search for Steven Platt and his colleagues in Myanmar, but little did they know what they would return with and the success that they would achieve. The prize of the day was 44 eggs from the Batagur trivittata. This species is critically endangered with fewer