Rodney Lewis

TSA: New Tortoise Conservation Center in Southern Madagascar Today’s lead article is about the TSA and Hogle Zoo creating the Tortoise Conservation Centre in response to higher confiscations of tortoise. From the article, “Recognizing the need for a central facility that can adequately house the steady stream of confiscated tortoises while providing veterinary care, research opportunities, and reintroduction planning, the TSA/Hogle Zoo partnership begin planning […]

Tangled Dermochelys coriacear spotted off west Cornwall Coast, UK A leatherback turtle has been spotted off the Cornish coast. A crew from the Mermaid Pleasure Trips found it caught on a pot-line buoy near Porthcurno. They were heading back from the Minack Theatre at the end of the 5pm cruise on Sunday, when they saw what appeared to be something tangled with one of the

Texas’ official sea turtle far below historical numbers The nesting season for the endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is ending with zero nests found on either Galveston Island or the Bolivar Peninsula for the first time in at least a decade, although the number rose for the entire coast. The decline in nesting on the Upper Texas Gulf Coast comes as a recent study shows

Glyptemys insculpta researchers step in to help NORTH OF DULUTH — About 200 yards off a railroad grade, researcher Maddy Cochrane waved her antenna in a semicircle to hear the strongest beep on her VHF radio receiver, then bolted off in that direction. The forest was thick with underbrush, big aspen trees and mosquitoes, and followers had to walk fast to keep up. It didn’t

Dermatemys mawii turtles Added to Assurance Colony in Belize In a huge boost to the joint TSA/BFREE campaign to establish a viable captive bred assurance colony of the critically endangered Hicatee (Dermatemys mawii), 19 new adult females were added to the HCRC in June 2016. The original founder population consisted of 22 animals, all but three of which are either males or animals still too

Painted Gopherus polyphemus cleaned and returned to wild A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) biologist responded to a call involving a gopher tortoise that had its shell covered in red paint. This case is disturbing because it is particularly difficult to witness blatant animal abuse. Along with her shell being covered in paint, the tortoise also had paint on her head and legs,

TSA report: River Terrapins Hatch Throughout Asia Throughout Asia, from remote nesting beaches to captive breeding facilities, River Terrapins (genus Batagur) have recently completed their hatching season. The accounts below summarize information from the countries where TSA works on Batagur recovery programs including India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Indonesia. Burma hatchling BatagurThe River Terrapins (Batagur) comprise six species of large, impressive, and at least in some

Students work to preserve the endangered Glyptemys insculpta (Wood turtle) University of Northern Iowa students studying Iowa’s rarest reptile aren’t just reading about them. They’re gathering information that will appear in future books and papers. Under the direction of biology professor Jeff Tamplin, students are studying and helping to preserve isolated populations of endangered wood turtles in Black Hawk and Butler counties. For Zach Hall,

How Do Oil Spills Affect Sea Turtles? Sea turtles: These beloved marine reptiles have been swimming the seas for millions of years. As we’ve seen in the Gulf of Mexico in recent years, oil spills represent yet another danger for these air-breathing reptiles that rely on clean water and clean beaches. But how exactly do oil spills affect sea turtles? And what do people do