This year the 19th annual Behler Turtle Conservation Award celebrates and honors Jeffrey E. Lovich. Jeff is a Research Ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center in Flagstaff, Arizona. Raised in Virginia, he attended George Mason University, where he met Carl Ernst and started studying turtles, earning an M.S. in biology with Carl as his major advisor. He then attended the University of Georgia for a Ph.D., where he was mentored by Whit Gibbons and Justin Congdon at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, working on the causes and consequences of sexual size dimorphism in turtles. Subsequently, Jeff wrote two editions of books on turtles of the United States and Canada with Carl, and a recent book on turtles of the world with Whit.

Jeff has been publishing the results of research on the ecology and taxonomy of turtles and other wildlife for 40 years, resulting in over 200 scientific publications and five books. Along the way he described and named four turtle taxa, including three in the US and one in Japan. Most of his research is in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts of California where he has worked for over 30 years. He is a Fulbright Scholar and an elected Fellow of the Linnean Society of London, the world’s oldest active biological society. Jeff has been one of the editors of Chelonian Conservation and Biology for over 10 years. His continuing research focuses on all aspects of turtle ecology, and the impacts of utility-scale wind and solar energy development on wildlife, especially desert tortoises. Jeff is a well-respected member of our global chelonian conservation and biology community and highly deserving of the Behler Turtle Conservation Award, and we are pleased to finally honor him with this major award at this time.

We also honor four Pritchard Turtle Conservation Lifetime Achievement Awardees this year, all for their outstanding longterm contributions to turtle conservation and biology: Patricia Koval for her key impact on the development, growth, and governance of Turtle Survival Alliance, notably her instrumental support of the Turtle Survival Center, while also being a longterm active champion of global wildlife conservation efforts with other organizations; Herilala Randriamahazo for his longterm conservation efforts focused on Radiated Tortoises and heading up the TSA program in Madagascar; Elliott Jacobson for his outstanding herpetological veterinary expertise, research, and many reptile publications, notably on turtles and tortoises, and mentoring many herpetological veterinarians; and Terry Graham for his longterm ecological studies on New England turtles, notably his early research and efforts to safeguard the Plymouth Red-bellied Turtle population in Massachusetts with an innovative headstarting program and promotion of its federal protection. We thank all of you for your lifetime dedication, perseverance, and achievement in making a major difference for turtles.

We also remember and honor Mehmet Atatür of Turkey, who passed recently, with a Posthumous Turtle Conservation Appreciation Award for his longterm conservation work and seminal publications on Turkey’s chelonians.

The IUCN SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group and Turtle Survival Alliance are joined by the Turtle Conservancy and the Turtle Conservation Fund as co-presenters of the Behler and Pritchard awards, bringing together four turtle conservation organizations closely tied to both John Behler’s and Peter Pritchard’s legacies. Additional support for the Behler Award and its honorarium is also gratefully received from the following generous co-sponsors: Re:wild, Andrew Sabin Family Foundation, Chelonian Research Foundation, Surprise Spring Foundation, George Meyer, Brett Stearns, Judith Behler Howells, and Deb Behler.

Congratulations, Jeff, Pat, Herilala, Elliott, and Terry, and thank you all for your major efforts on behalf of turtles and their conservation—your recognition as Behler and Pritchard Honorees is most highly deserved!

Header image: (from left) 2024 Awardees Elliott Jacobson, Pat Koval, Jeff Lovich, and Herilala Randriamahazo. Images courtesy of Kathleen Dreier Photography.

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• Winner – Best Paper
  Larissa Saarel
  Rocky Mountain College
  “Turtle Nesting Habitat in a Free-flowing and Dammed River in the Western Great Plains”
• Winner – Best Poster
  Basem Motwaly
  Missouri State University
  “Demographic Analysis and Population Viability of Egyptian Tortoises: A Two-Phase Approach Integrating Multi-State Modeling and Population Viability Analysis”
• Runner-up – Best Paper
  Marita Paredes Rodríguez
  Red de Investigadores en Herpetología-Bolivia
  “Population Estimate and Population Structure of the Pantanal Swamp Turtle (Acanthochelys macrocephala) in Palmar de las Islas, Santa Cruz, Bolivia”
• Runner-up – Best Paper
  Patrick Delisle
  University of Southern Mississippi
  “Using Time Lapse Photography to Monitor Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii)”

Header image: (from left) Patrick Delisle, Larissa Saarel, Marita A. Paredes Rodriguez, and Basem Motwaly. Images courtesy of Kathleen Dreier Photography.

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Oh, the Places You’ll Go…with Turtles!

By Rachael Harff, Chelonian Keeper II, Turtle Survival Center

“Where do you see yourself in five years?” is a question that we’ve all been asked in life, especially throughout our academic track. Five years ago I’d tell you I wanted to work with animals, which has always been true for me, but otherwise, I really didn’t know the direction my life was headed. Today, I’d tell you I feel so lucky that my career has led me to Turtle Survival Alliance and to an inspiring community of passionate people who love and protect turtles. Turtles and tortoises, in my experience, are some of the most fascinating creatures that can lead you on the most incredible journeys. Most recently, turtles took me to Belize—specifically, to the Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education (BFREE). BFREE resides on 1,153 acres of protected land located in the foothills of the Mayan Mountains. If you love waking up to jungle sounds every morning at sunrise, long hikes through undeveloped wild lands, eating amazing home-cooked food (thanks to their talented chef Eddie), and being surrounded by all kinds of critters (including lots of turtles), then BFREE is a must on your turtle bucket list. Not to mention the amazing staff at BFREE that you’ll meet, learn from, and likely befriend.

BFREE and Turtle Survival Alliance’s partnership began in 2010 when both organizations saw a need for the conservation of the critically endangered Central American River Turtle (Dermatemys mawii), known locally as the hicatee. Their combined effort to prevent the decline of the species led to the inception of the Hicatee Conservation & Research Center (HCRC), located on the grounds of the BFREE field station. Fast forward through fourteen years of hard work and dedication, and the HCRC has released over one thousand hicatee turtles into the wild, all thanks to their very successful breeding and head start program, as well as the dedicated staff, scientists, and volunteers that have made this possible over the years. 

The reason for myself and eleven other turtle enthusiasts traveling to BFREE this July was to conduct a population survey of eight other species of freshwater turtle found on BFREE’s reserve. In addition to the Turtle Survival Alliance/BFREE partnership to save the hicatee, they have also launched a program inviting Volunteer Scientists to participate in field programs through the North American Freshwater Turtle Research Group (NAFTRG). The objective of the study is to capture, mark, and recapture the turtles we find on the property to study population size over time and to ensure healthy populations of turtles remain in the wild there. We caught the turtles both by hand and by setting various baited traps. Then, we marked them with shell notches and gave them Passive Integrated Transponders, or PIT tags, for future identification. We took measurements including carapace and plastron length, width, etc., and released them back into the wild once the data was collected. July 2024 concluded the fourth year of data collection and research in the 10-year study. This year, we found several handfuls of adorable hatchling turtles, and we excitingly recorded the one-thousandth turtle captured on the BFREE property. 

The eight species that we captured while conducting the survey included: Tabasco Mud Turtles (Kinosternon acutum), Scorpion Mud Turtles (Kinosternon scorpioides), White-lipped Mud Turtles (Kinosternon leucostomum), Narrow-bridged Musk Turtles (Claudius angustatus), Mexican Giant Musk Turtles (Staurotypus triporcatus), Meso-American Sliders (Trachemys venusta), Furrowed Wood Turtles (Rhinoclemmys areolata) and one very elusive Central American Snapping Turtle (Chelydra rossignonii). 

We spent our days and nights hiking throughout the property looking for turtles. This included hiking up and down the 6-mile entrance road that segues from jungle to savanna, wading in shallow creeks and getting caught in rainstorms, night snorkeling in the fast-moving Bladen River, and being led deep into jungle wetlands by Thomas Pop; the turtle whisperer, jungle man, and coolest person I’ve ever met. Two things held true every day we spent at BFREE; one, we were absolutely going to find turtles, and two, we were absolutely going to get wet. I think all of us quickly learned to embrace the torrential rain, puddles, and river crossings we encountered daily. We certainly didn’t let any of our unfortunate shoe or wardrobe choices hold us back from experiencing all that Belize’s biodiversity has to offer. 

The success of the BFREE program lies not only in the surveys but also in their training and development of young professionals in the conservation field. I loved learning about the BFREE fellowship program and connecting with the fellows on my trip. The fellowship program offers a two-year immersive workforce training program to recent Belizean junior college and college graduates. Heather Barrett, the Deputy Director of BFREE, and Jacob Marlin, the Executive Director of BFREE, created this program to empower future conservation leaders and allow young professionals to get their foot in the door in wildlife conservation and agroforestry. It is an example of a successful program that is essential to the future of conservation through community involvement and cultivating aspiring leaders. 

During my visit, I met Barney Hall and Roxanna Chen, two of the most recent graduates of the fellowship program. Roxanna was the first female graduate of the program and has since become a permanent staff member at BFREE. Barney will begin his next journey in conservation by pursuing a Bachelor’s in Environmental Science at the University of Augsburg in Minnesota. 

I was fascinated with Barney’s chelonian journey and how the fellowship program drastically altered the direction of his life. Growing up on a river, Barney told me about how he had always enjoyed fishing and being in nature but didn’t know of any career paths related to this field. Fate intervened when Jacob Marlin stumbled upon Barney working at a hardware shop. They struck up a conversation about BFREE and wildlife conservation. After seeing a spark of Barney’s passion for wildlife in their conversation, Jacob encouraged Barney to apply for the science and education fellowship program. Thus, Barney’s official journey with turtles began. He and several of the other fellows that I had the pleasure of meeting during my trip, whether old and new to the program, have gone on or will go on to do amazing things for conservation–because of their individual drive–and because of the support and experiences they received from the fellowship program offered at BFREE. 

So, where do YOU see yourself in five years? Perhaps you’ll be visiting a beautiful place with passionate people to teach you all about their efforts for turtle conservation. Or maybe you’ll be conducting turtle research and sharing your findings at the next Turtle Survival Alliance symposium. If turtles are involved, it’s probably likely you’re going to be in some exciting scenarios or habitats somewhere around the world. I hope I get to continue on this journey in turtle conservation and continue to connect with incredible people. I hope organizations like Turtle Survival Alliance and BFREE continue to inspire, nurture, and create opportunities for future generations to get involved and care about conservation. And of course, I look forward to following the turtles …off to great places! …off and away!

-Rachael

Header image: Rachael Harff on a river in a protected field site in Belize. Photo courtesy of Rachael Harff.

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The Wildlife Conservation Society and the Fisheries Administration (FiA) in July marked another significant achievement in their efforts to restore the Cambodian population of Southern River Terrapins (colloquially known as Royal Turtles) with the inaugural opening of newly constructed rearing and breeding ponds at the Koh Kong Reptile Conservation Center (KKRCC). To further mark the opening of these facilities, our partners in Cambodia released another group of 20 subadult Southern River Terrapins, which were raised at the KKRCC, into the Sre Ambel River. The KKRCC has successfully produced 185 hatchling terrapins since 2021. This release marks the tenth for the species, totaling 206 returned to the wild. The collaborative efforts of WCS, FiA, and partners, including Turtle Survival Alliance, have been instrumental in protecting the Southern River Terrapin, once believed extinct in Cambodia.

Read the full press release here.

All photos by Phun Thorn © WCS Cambodia.

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“We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), determine threatened species status under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended, for the Suwannee  Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys suwanniensis), a large, freshwater turtle species from the Suwannee River basin in Florida and Georgia. This rule adds the species to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. We also finalize a rule issued under the authority of section 4(d) of the Act that provides measures that are necessary and advisable to provide for the conservation of this species. We have determined that designating critical habitat for the Suwannee alligator snapping turtle is not prudent.”

This rule was first brought forward in 2021, and after assessing the risks posed to the species, it has now gained federal protection.

Turtle Survival Alliance engages in turtle population surveys, including that of the Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle, in the Suwannee River basin in Florida through our Volunteer Science program, the North American Freshwater Turtle Research Group (NAFTRG). This new rule is a step forward in protecting the largest turtle to inhabit this species-rich area. 

Read the full ruling here.

Header image:  A Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle captured by the North American Freshwater Turtle Research Group (NAFTRG) during a freshwater springs survey,  photo by Brett Bartek.

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Turtle Survival Alliance supports the work of María Eugenia Echave and Erika Kubisch for the study and conservation of the Chaco Tortoise (Chelonoidis chilensis) in Argentina.

By María Eugenia Echave and Erika Kubisch

A few years ago, we started working around an open water canal near San Antonio Oeste, in Northern Patagonia, Argentina, where we observed all kinds of animals, including the Chaco Tortoise, falling in. Throughout the summer, we had the opportunity to rescue many of them from that canal. Upon releasing some of them, we tracked them with radio transmitters for a few days to ensure they remained in good health and to see if they stayed in the vicinity or decided to move far away. 

On November 10, 2022, we rescued a beautiful female that we assigned as T212. Realizing she had eggs, we decided to track her daily using a radio transmitter. On January 20, 2023, we had the incredible opportunity to witness her laying eggs. The sensation was incredible; we didn’t even realize what was happening at first and had to quietly retreat when we understood what was going on. It was 11:30 AM, and after observing her for almost an hour under the blazing sun, we saw her, completely exhausted, closing the nest she had painstakingly dug with her hind legs. We never saw how many eggs she laid, but once she moved a few meters away to rest in the shade, we approached and realized it was impossible to discern exactly where the nest was. She was very careful not to leave any trace of the miracle she had just created.

Once she left, we decided those eggs needed to be protected, as the area is home to many wild boar that leave nothing in their wake. It seemed unfair that after all her effort, and ours to keep her healthy and safe, those hatchlings wouldn’t get the chance to be born. So, we gathered all the materials we could find to create a barrier around the nest and protect those eggs, at least to give them the opportunity to hatch.

We knew we had to wait many months. Working in the southernmost part of Argentina, we have the southernmost tortoise population in the world. This means that they need a long time to hatch because, despite the very high temperatures in summer, winter temperatures are extremely low. As a result, the embryos enter a period of dormancy. We already had records of nests that took between 12 and 16 months to hatch, so we knew the wait would be long.

The following year, we returned to work in the area, and every day we checked on the nest, hoping to notice a small change that would indicate the hatchlings were about to emerge. However, the entire summer passed and nothing happened.

After 14 months of waiting, and upon learning that a motor grader was scheduled to pass through the area to repair the road where the nest was located, we decided to visit the nest one last time to verify if the eggs were fertile and in good condition to hatch. If they were, we planned to take them and allow them to hatch in captivity, releasing them in the spring to give them a better chance of survival.

However, when we arrived, there were still no signs of hatching. We began to dig carefully, and suddenly, we were startled to see something moving! To our incredible surprise, we discovered a fully hatched baby tortoise still completely buried, living within the air chamber its mother had created. Also in the nest, beneath the small hatchling, there was another egg that probably broke during laying.

The wait was definitely worth it. We never expected to find a hatchling already born and waiting to emerge. As the cold autumn weather was starting, we decided to protect it and allow it to brumate safely. When the warm days of October arrive, during our spring, we will release it back into the wild where it belongs. It’s incredible to realize that our efforts led to the birth of this beautiful creature. Even though it’s just one hatchling today, we know that our dedication will benefit many more in the future. This gives us the energy and motivation to continue our work.

To read more about the work we support in Argentina, read the full feature in Turtle Survival 2023.

Acknowledgments: we would like to thank Turtle Survival Alliance, Fundación de Historia Natural Félix de Azara, Turtle Conservation Fund, our volunteers Luis, Belén, Juan, Juana, Pau A., Yeye, Aye, Agus, Ro, Santi, Cami, Pau S., Fer, Oli, Kenya, Gaby, Catalina, Sebastián, Maxi, Peco, Martín, Milton.

Header image: Biologists María and Erika first encounter the Chaco Tortoise (Chelonoidis chilensis) hatchling, just taken from its nest. All photos by Maria Eugenia Echave. 

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By Eduardo Reyes Grajales, PhD student, Department of Biodiversity Conservation, Colegio de la Frontera Sur, San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico

The state of Chiapas is one of the most culturally and biologically rich in Mexico; however, historically, this state presents big challenges for the conservation of its flora and fauna, and turtles are no exception. In March 2023, I began a partnership with Turtle Survival Alliance, implementing various initiatives spanning from southern to northern Chiapas. This state is home to 16 continental turtles of which I have recorded 14. 

My work in Chiapas this spring has allowed me to engage the community in efforts to conserve the habitat of a particular mud turtle, begin our research on one of the most endangered turtles in the world, participate in a successful webinar on the conservation of terrestrial and freshwater turtles in Mexico, and commence a study on the reproductive biology of one of the least studied turtles in Central America.

In April, I initiated contact with the honorable council of Villa Hidalgo, a village in central Chiapas, regarding the protection of a lagoon in the community. Why there? For the past five years, I have been monitoring a turtle population in that vicinity, recording over 350 individuals of the Central Chiapas Mud Turtle (Kinosternon abaxillare), a species that is only distributed in the central portion of Chiapas and a small area in western Guatemala. The central region of Chiapas is characterized by its highly productive agriculture and livestock operations. This has led to the disappearance of much of its deciduous forest, endangering the animals that inhabit the area. It is now rare to find natural localities with so many individual turtles in one place. Meetings were held to discuss designating the area around this lagoon as a community-protection zone by local agreement. The proposal was unanimously approved on April 28. To celebrate the event, a cleaning of the lagoon and a reforestation effort along its margins was organized.

At the beginning of May, we conducted our first field trip to study populations of the imperiled Central American River Turtle (Dermatemys mawii) over a ten-day period in the northern region of Chiapas. The Central American River Turtle is a fully aquatic, herbivorous species in all its size and sex categories. Unfortunately, the species is overexploited for its meat for local consumption, making it one of the world’s most critically endangered turtles. Compounding this issue, northern Chiapas faces high rates of land use change, contamination of its water bodies primarily due to livestock and agriculture, and a significant presence of non-native fish. 

So, why do we study the Central American River Turtle under these conditions? First, some populations have survived under intense environmental and human pressures. Therefore, understanding the ecological patterns that individuals of the species develop to survive is key to proposing effective conservation strategies. To address this, I study the characteristics of the turtle population (e.g. number of individuals, sex ratio, and size) and the food webs to which the Central American River Turtle is linked. I employ a mixed methodology that incorporates both scientific and anecdotal knowledge from local fishermen. This combination of information has proven successful in identifying capture sites and applying non-invasive methodologies to capture the species in the large lagoons and rivers of southeastern Mexico.

Fieldwork was challenging due to the difficulties of transporting large traps and field equipment, as well as covering extensive routes of an aquatic system in temperatures reaching up to 109°F (43°C). These challenges were compounded by insecurities within the social context of southeastern Mexico, posing limitations on certain activities. Despite these obstacles, we succeeded in locating turtles! Finding more than a dozen individuals of this critically endangered species using this initial approach isn’t bad, right? 

Among the 16 Central American River Turtles we captured were several large individuals exceeding 16 in (40 cm) in shell length and 51 lbs (23 kg) in weight. However, we noticed that predation pressures are very high, and we cataloged multiple individuals with significant signs of predation attempts. Despite these attempts, they continued to grow, demonstrating their resilience as survivors.

This project goes beyond studying the Central American River Turtle in this region; our aim is to replicate this study in various locations within protected natural areas. Our goal is to broaden our understanding of wild populations, identify conservation needs, and forge partnerships to safeguard these turtles and their environment. 

On this trip, we not only sought out the Central American River Turtle, but also had the opportunity to record individuals of the Meso-American Slider Turtle (Trachemys venusta), Central American Snapping Turtle (Chelydra rossignonii), Northern Giant Musk Turtle (Staurotypus triporcatus), White-lipped Mud Turtle (Kinosternon leucostomum), Furrowed Wood Turtle (Rhinoclemmys areolata), and some curious Morelet’s Crocodiles (Crocodylus moreletii)! Additionally, we had the opportunity to interact with local communities to publicize our work, share experiences, and emphasize the importance of the conservation of tropical ecosystems. 

To enhance our public engagement efforts and commemorate World Turtle Day^© (May 23), the Colegio de la Frontera Sur organized a webinar titled “Challenges for the Conservation of Turtles in Mexico.” This event featured the participation of national experts from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Universidad de Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco (UJAT), the Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR), and the Secretaría del Medio Ambiente e Historia Natural del Estado de Chiapas (SEMAHN). Here we discussed the current challenges in turtle conservation in Mexico, focusing on community participation and collaboration between educational and government institutions. You can view the different participations by following the link here. 

Every moment in this season served as a poignant reminder of the fragility of nature and our responsibility as human beings to protect it. Without a doubt, this year has been a great adventure filled with work to deepen our understanding of the turtles of Chiapas. We look forward to continuing this great work day by day, safeguarding their habitats, and creating synergies with local communities to promote turtle conservation in this region of Mexico.

Acknowledgments: I appreciate the valuable support of the Miguel Álvarez del Toro Zoo to carry out fieldwork, especially Ernesto E. Perera Trejo (Curator of the Crocodile Area), Ángel de la Cruz Pérez (Assistant of the Crocodile Area), and Carlos A. Guichard Romero (Operational Director). Additionally, to the honorable council of Villa Hidalgo, the Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Juan Baldovinos, Pablo Baldovinos (owner of EcoHostal Costa Verde), and Victor H. Reynoso (research professor at UNAM).

Header image: An adult female Central American River Turtle (Dermatemys mawii) collected with signs of attempted predation. All photos courtesy of Eduardo Reyes Grajales.

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In another step forward for a critically endangered species, Turtle Survival Alliance released 1,000 Radiated Tortoises (Astrochelys radiata) on World Turtle Day®, May 23, 2024, into a community-protected forest in southwest Madagascar. These tortoises were seized from illegal trafficking and put under Turtle Survival Alliance management for rehabilitation, long-term care, and eventual release.

The first successful reintroduction of tortoises began in 2021, with thousands of tortoises released in batches since then. The tortoises will be monitored post-release to record movements, quantify survivorship, and qualify release efficacy. We aim to rewild more than 20,000 confiscated tortoises under our care in Madagascar over the next five years. To learn more about our plan, read our case for support.

In preparation for returning the tortoises to the wild, a veterinary team from Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute and Mississippi Aquarium working with husbandry staff from Zoo Knoxville, Wildlife Conservation Society, the Smithsonian Institute, and the Turtle Survival Alliance, and students from the veterinary school of the University of Antananarivo, performed health evaluations for tortoises large enough to be considered for release. The 1,000 cleared for release were placed in an isolation enclosure for six months prior to their transfer to the reintroduction site.

Concurrently, we, in close collaboration with Madagascar’s Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD) and other government institutions, and the local community, invested considerable effort to prepare the site for tortoise release. The MEDD declared the site a community-managed area. TSA and the local community conducted surveys to establish boundaries and constructed expansive pre-release enclosures. TSA and its partners (gendarmes, MEDD) built capacity among community members to manage the site for tortoises and as a community forest.

The release is a day of celebration for the community, marking a collaboration between local communities, our organization, and the government to achieve a significant step towards the conservation of this endemic species in need.

Acknowledgments*: 

Thank you to Aktionsgemeinschaft Artenschutz (AGA) e.V., Association of Zoos & Aquariums: Saving Animals From Extinction (AZA SAFE), Chuck and Ernestina Kreutzkamp Foundation, Cincinnati Zoo, Columbus Zoo, Dennler Family Fund, Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo, Gregory Family Charitable Fund, Jill Jollay, Milwaukee County Zoo, Mississippi Aquarium, Riverbanks Zoo & Garden, Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, St. Louis Zoo, Toronto Zoo, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Zoo Atlanta, Zoo Knoxville, Zoofari Parks, LLC, and Will Ahrens, Brett Bartek, William and Kathleen Holmstrom, Lance Paden, Jamie Palmer, Bonnie L Raphael, Roy Young, and our many Alliance staff in Madagascar who work tirelessly to ensure that these tortoises have a future in the wild.

*Financial or in-kind support of $5,000 or more, from October 2022 to December 2023.

Header image: Turtle Survival Alliance Madagascar staff begin to unload the Radiated Tortoises prepped for release into tubs of water. After a good soak, they will be transferred into soft-release pens to begin the next step in their return to the wild. All photos courtesy of Turtle Survival Alliance Madagasikara, Communications Department.

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By AJ Fetterman, Chelonian Keeper II, Turtle Survival Center

When it comes to turtle and tortoise conservation, there is no better place to work than Turtle Survival Alliance’s Turtle Survival Center (TSC, the Center). At the Center, we house over 700 individuals of some of those most endangered species of turtle and tortoise in the world. A standout for me is the Burmese Star Tortoise (Geochelone platynota)—my favorite species. We have five of them and have produced many offspring in the past, and we have an enormous female that is definitely the “star” of the Center.

The main mission of the Center is to breed as many genetically diverse turtles as possible to ensure that these species remain on our planet for generations to come. We would always prefer to keep the animals in the wild living a normal turtle life, but with some of the most endangered species, sometimes there is no wild left remaining. Some of the species we work with, like the Rote Island Snake-necked Turtle (Chelodina mccordi), can no longer be found in the wild at all. We produce many individuals of this species every year and without facilities like ours carrying out captive breeding, the future for this species would be in serious peril.

That brings us to me, my name is AJ and I am a Chelonian Keeper at the Turtle Survival Center. I am a part of a team that’s responsible for maintaining this collection of turtles and tortoises and providing an enriching life for them that replicates to the best of our ability their wild environment. This job comes with some really cool responsibilities and duties, all of which I’m excited to share with you in this series.

Egg-citing Springtime Clutches

My favorite part of the job is the collection and incubation of eggs and getting to care for all of the hatchlings we produce every year. We are in full-blown egg collection season, as you can see with this nest of Bourret’s Box Turtle (Cuora bourreti) eggs that I found just this week (below). This nest of eggs was the first time we have seen four eggs in a single clutch for this species, which made it a pretty exciting find. So far three of the eggs are showing signs of development, giving us hope for potential hatchings.

We also recently found some Forsten’s Tortoise (Indotestudo forstenii) eggs (below). This species will lay only one or two eggs per clutch and are larger than those of the Bourret’s Box Turtle. These tortoises can take a notoriously long time to develop inside their eggs, but so far they are showing good signs of development.  

Another spring tradition is our roundups for dozens of turtles inhabiting the eight large ponds at the Center. Every spring and fall we jump into the ponds and collect all of the turtles by hand to do an overall health assessment and record their weights. Most of the turtles in these ponds are juvenile Red-Necked Pond Turtles (Mauremys nigricans) and Vietnamese Pond Turtles (Mauremys annamensis). It’s always a long and exhausting process, but a necessary task to ensure everyone is happy and healthy. 

Every season brings new tasks and duties and I am excited to bring everyone along for the ride. Every Tails from the Turtle Survival Center blog will have a different topic; some of them are fun and exciting, and others may be difficult, all of which are necessary parts of the fight to keep these species existing on our planet. I also look forward to chatting with two of the other Chelonian Keepers, Rachael, and Nita, and introducing you to some of the faces and motivations of those working to keep the Center up to our high standards of care. 

Stay tuned for another blog coming soon!

-AJ

Header image: AJ holds a young Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) that had found its way into the ponds at the Turtle Survival Center, photo by Chelsea Rinn.

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By Andrew Walde, Director of Conservation and Science

As I look out the airplane window, I reflect; after a 20-year absence, I’m about to land in Mexico for the third time this year. This mission is a little different—no thorn scrub, no tropical forests, just the concrete jungle that is Puerto Vallarta. Here, luxury resorts, hotels, and rentals now span the entirety of the coastline of the Bay of Banderas. Tourism is flourishing, with millions descending on this port city each year to enjoy its beaches, nightlife, culture, and cuisine. Long before the city’s rise to prominence as a vacation destination, though, a diminutive turtle called—and still calls—Puerto Vallarta and the Ameca Valley home.

In a shock to the turtle world, in 2018, a new species of turtle featuring a bright yellow patch on its nose was described from a ditch—literally—inside Puerto Vallarta. And so began the quest for more information on the aptly named Vallarta Mud Turtle (Kinosternon vogti). 

Regarded as the smallest freshwater turtle in the world, the Vallarta Mud Turtle rocketed into the top tier of most endangered turtles in the world. Contrary to numerous counterparts on this unfortunate list of species, which often still boast a relative abundance of habitat but have fallen victim to relentless exploitation for the food, pet, and traditional medicine trades, the Vallarta Mud Turtle faces a unique challenge—the majority of its habitat sits directly beneath the homes and businesses of a burgeoning metropolis. In fact, our current knowledge is that this tiny, beautiful, yet ill-fated turtle now exists in just five small wetlands where a valley of floodplain wetlands once laid.

I was met at the airport by Taggert Butterfield, co-founder of Estudiantes Conservando la Naturaleza, or Students Conserving Nature (SCN). Taggert and Students Conserving Nature partner with the Turtle Survival Alliance to learn as much as we can about this species to help direct conservation efforts. It is still early, so Taggert swoops me off to the beach for a late lunch, where he tells me all about his findings. 

On our way to his place to pick up traps and bait, we swing by a pond known to have Vallarta Mud Turtles. As we bump down the dirt roads approaching the pond I’m struck by the neighborhood, construction debris, and garbage. How can anything survive here, let alone one of the rarest turtles in the world? Mere seconds after this thought, I yell out, “STOP!” There on the side of the road is a smooth turtle-esque “rock”—a Vallarta Mud Turtle. Taggert can’t believe it as it’s rather early in the evening for a turtle to be out and on the move, but he explains that there is a dry drainage that connects this pond to another; the turtle, an adult female, has clearly traversed the dry bed. We quickly process her, giving her a unique shell-notch ID, and, upon examining her, learn she is gravid with eggs. How exciting is that!!??

We set her back down to continue on her way, wishing her and her precious load great success. As we continue on, the site ahead is less exciting; dozens of dump trucks have been filling in the pond with crumbled concrete waste. But the little four-inch egg-laiden female we just found gives us hope. Taggert brings additional optimism as he discusses his current talks with the city to restore and transform this wetland into a small protected park, benefitting both the residents of Puerto Vallarta and its endangered mud turtle.

We return to the wetland just before dark to set traps, and, in what can only be seen as a miracle, there on the same stretch of road is another Vallarta Mud Turtle. This time it is a much smaller turtle, a male with his bright yellow nose clearly visible from the truck. We can’t help but wonder if he was trailing the female from two hours earlier. We set our traps, bidding them good luck, with a promise to return in the morning. If you’ve never trapped turtles for science, let me tell you, the anticipation fills your being. When you approach a trap, your mind is going full tilt. “Will there be a turtle? How many? What species?” A colleague years ago compared it to opening a present on Christmas morning—the unbridled curiosity and excitement is the same. 

Over the next three days we visit several wetlands that hold potential for Vallarta Mud Turtles, as well as the five known habitats occupied by this precious little turtle. All of them are heavily degraded and impacted by the surrounding developments. Worse yet, some of the “best habitat” is slated for sale or development. Sadly, this is prime real estate for the ever-expanding Puerto Vallarta. While moving around the extremely small known range of this species, we discuss options. They are going to need to be drastic—with time being of the utmost essence.

Working with the city of Puerto Vallarta, removing turtles slated to be buried by development, establishing assurance colonies, investigating translocation, and creating habitat are all at the top of the list.

Conserving the world’s tiniest turtle will not be a tiny effort. 

All photos courtesy of Andrew Walde and Taggert Butterfield. 

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