Michaela Wiersema

University Student Fulfills Life-long Passion With The Bermuda Turtle Project Rescuing a tangled sea turtle was only part of the series of events that would lead Josh Stephens to a career with these amazing animals. After being invited multiple times to join the Bermuda Turtle Project by Jennifer Gray, director of the BTP, he finally accepted while simultaneously pursuing a degree at Plymouth University in […]

Latest Illegal Wildlife Trade Analysis Reveals Shocking Statistics And Need For Immediate Action Asia and Africa are well known for their prominence in the illegal wildlife trade; however, the america’s are shoving their way into the spotlight. A shocking statistic from a recent report by the UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre reveals that a yearly count of 300,000 Podocnemis unifilis are exported from the

Biologists Head Survey And Tracking Project For Native Massachusetts Turtles The Sudbury Valley Trustees Memorial Forest Reservation is home to two reclusive turtle species, Glyptemys insculpta and Terrapene carolina carolina. Last month a group of dedicated biologists partnered in a survey and tracking project to learn more about these declining chelonians. The project involves attaching tracking devices to each turtle captured utilizing scent tracking as

Gopherus polyphemus Head-starting Project Moves Forward Through Collaborative Partnerships The Aiken Gopher Tortoise Heritage Preserve is home to the fascinating Gopherus polyphemus, which is also the subject of an interesting project headed by University of Georgia�s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL), The Longleaf Alliance, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Riverbanks Zoo & Garden. Gopherus polyphemus possesses endangered status in

Yet Another State On Its Way To Initiating Ban Of Turtle Harvesting Arkansas may be following in the footsteps of New York, Nevada, and Missouri in implementing new laws to ban the commercial harvest of the 14 turtle species that are legally collected each year. A shocking 126,381 turtles were harvested between 2014 and 2016 within the state, and Elise Bennett from the Center for

Ban To Halt Malaclemys terrapin Collection A Massive Conservation Victory New York’s quintessential chelonian, Malaclemys terrapin, is finally receiving the protection it deserves. The species is heavily collected for food consumption and populations have not bounced back following the massive collection rates of the 20th century. The state Department of Environmental Conservation has determined that the turtles are officially in decline and so has decided

Man Puts His Carpentry Skills and Creativity To Work With Incredibly Designed Tortoise Habitat When most people think of an off-grid home, they picture a cabin with solar panels, but one man had something completely different in mind. Paul Gordon, the owner of two large Sulcata tortoises, decided to think out of the box when his pets became too large for their enclosure. Knowing the

Bristol Zoo Makes A Huge Leap Forward In Their Work With Endangered Asian Chelonians Since his fascinating adventure to Vietnam, Tim Skelton, curator of reptiles and amphibians at the Bristol Zoo, has been increasingly eager to reproduce the endangered Cuora mouhoutii, a native resident of the Asian country. It has been a long 12 years, and the zoo has finally broke the ribbon and successfully

3D Technology A Huge Step Forward Towards A Solution For Growing Predation Issues Psammobates geometricus is listed as a critically endangered species by the IUCN; as a result, conservationists have been racing to save this tortoise which is declining at an alarming rate. Now, a North American project is being applied towards this species in the hope that predation can be greatly reduced or even