BACK TO THE WILD

Reintroducing the world’s most trafficked tortoise species.

The radiated tortoise (Astrochelys radiata) is considered the most illegally trafficked tortoise on the planet. Previously one of the most abundant tortoises in the world and protected by Malagasy ‘Fady’, socioeconomic struggles have eroded these traditions and forced local people into harvesting animals to meet international demand. Now, the radiated tortoise is ‘critically endangered’ but with the combined efforts of Turtle Survival Alliance and Malagasy authorities, reintroductions of seized animals are finally beginning to take place.

A bleak picture

Back in 2018, more than 10,000 tortoises were discovered by local police in an undisclosed private residence in Toliara, Madagascar. Multiple rooms were filled with tortoises that had no access to food or water which caused hundreds to die over the following weeks. Experts from the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) and several zoos and aquariums were dispatched with veterinary supplies to administer medical care for the sick or injured tortoises.

This incident prompted widespread concern and shined a light on the illegal pet trade that sees animals subject to substandard conditions to bypass regulations on exporting animals. Madagascar, due to its huge ecological significance and massive numbers of endemic species, has a ban on trading any animals for the exotic pet trade. Unfortunately, in a country that has such huge rates of extreme poverty, this has pushed the market underground, creating an illicit trade. Whilst tortoises are generally the easiest catch, other species are likely to be affected by the minority of individuals who have found routes to export wild animals in unregulated quantities all over the world.

Rick continued: “There are two markets. The bushmeat trade takes the large adults. In the two main regions where this tortoise remains, generally, the people don’t harm the tortoises. However, we’re seeing more outsiders coming in to poach from a region called Fotadrevo. The juveniles, on the other hand, are harvested in large numbers for export. We believe the large stockpiles were destined for Chinese shipping vessels.”

“They say this is the worst drought we’ve had in four decades. It’s been in the news a lot about how climate change is affecting impoverished communities. This year was really bad in that the rains were delayed by 3 months, it was just brutal. Trees were losing leaves, cattle were dying, people were dying and we’re trying to keep 26,000 tortoises alive and all we had was cactus. We curse prickly pear a lot because it’s so invasive, but had it not been for prickly pear cactus, a lot of these tortoises would have died, and a lot of people would have died. We’ve also had epic heat waves and I would blame climate change.”

Tsa

At present, more than 50% of the world’s 359 turtle and tortoise species are threatened with extinction. Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) is a global conservation charity that aims to protect turtle species all over the world. The initiative was formed in 2001 in response to the rampant and unsustainable collection of Asian turtles supplying Chinese markets. TSA employs a three-pronged approach to turtle conservation by “restoring populations in the wild where possible”, “securing species in captivity through assurance colonies”, and “building capacity to restore, secure and conserve species within their range countries”.

Rick Hudson, President of TSA told Exotics Keeper Magazine: “The radiated tortoise is generally considered one of the most beautiful tortoises in the world and is certainly an iconic tortoise representative of the arid spiny desert of southern Madagascar. It is also one of the most highly trafficked tortoises in the world. It has undergone catastrophic declines in the last 20 years. From an estimated 12 million, we dropped to 6 million in the 90s, and that number has possibly been halved again in recent times. The rate of decline is shocking. It’s a really sad situation and we’re doing everything we can to stop it.”

“We thought we were making inroads in 2012. Then, poaching started picking up again in 2015. We started seeing lots of confiscations at international airports. Then in 2018, the poaching really spiked again, with two really big seizures of 10,000 and 8,000 animals. It’s an overwhelming task taking care of all of these tortoises, but we don’t want this species to end up like the ploughshare.”

Although large numbers of these animals still exist, the rate of decline is extremely alarming. Both bushmeat and pet trade markets (particularly in Asia) are fuelling this decline. Socioeconomic pressures from droughts as well as people moving around the country have meant that ‘Fady’ which is Malagasy for ‘taboo’ is no longer giving these tortoises their revered status. Previously, certain species thought to be a ‘bad omen’ were avoided by local people, which would in turn protect the species. As desperation to afford food and drinking water increases, so do the number of animals plucked from the wild.

A global problem

The radiated tortoise is prized in Asia for its highlydomed shell and the demand is high. This is partly why population numbers have declined almost 80% in 30 years, meaning the species could go functionally extinct within the next two decades. Now, with greater stress on the sourcing of income and sustenance as well as competing with wider problems attributed to climate change, the need to tap into wildlife as a natural resource has become greater. Consequently, thousands of tortoises are seized by law enforcement and placed under TSA’s care each year.

Rick continued: “Southern Madagascar is going through extreme droughts and famine, yet the customer is the country with the fastest-growing population under 12 years old. So, you have all those things combining that are working against the radiated tortoise.”

“The demand is not going to go away and the rarer the tortoise becomes, (we saw this with the ploughshare) the higher the demand and the higher the price. This intensifies the pressure to harvest them. We have a lot of people breeding a lot of radiated tortoises, but those animals are not going to make it to Asia where the demand is. It’s just easier to buy a smuggled tortoise that’s *this* big than spend $1000 on a hatchling that’s *that* big. It’s just economics.”

Although TSA has managed to save tens of thousands of tortoises in Madagascar, there are undoubtedly huge numbers of animals that are smuggled out of the country, where levels of enforcement vary.

Rick added: “A traffic report several years ago based on surveys from Indonesia and Bangkok confirms this is the most heavily trafficked tortoise in the world. How can a species that is CITES Appendix 1 be so heavily trafficked? Well, it just lacks enforcement. Madagascar doesn’t have the funds to do this. We had a weekly flight going directly to Bangkok, but the baggage machine wasn’t working! Once animals are in Thailand, they’re not going to enforce protection. There’s almost no enforcement on the receiving end. Once they reach China, Bangkok, etc they’re gone. Malaysia and Singapore are good at intercepting animals, but Thailand is a black hole.”

“If we can’t figure out a way to improve enforcement in judicial capacity, we are really going to struggle. We’re seeing signs of hope in Madagascar as jail sentences are much harsher than before. But you know, they don’t have large jails there. They fill up quickly.”

Although discovering live animals is considered a success and breathes some optimism into the organisation’s goals, it also presents its challenges. With huge numbers of tortoises being seized in Madagascar, the animals that are intercepted when they reach international ports present an even bigger challenge.

“When an animal leaves and returns you have the risk of transmitting exotic pathogens” explained Rick. “These animals have to be isolated, tested, then these samples have to be shipped to a lab that can afford to do it. It’s not cheap, even though many companies have been very generous with us. We have animals that have been in our facilities for 2 years waiting for these test results. It creates headaches when we bring them back.”

Private keeper responsibility

As private keepers who are passionate about the reptiles we care for, it can sometimes be easy to detach ourselves from the reality of keeping wild-caught animals and therefore captive-bred animals should always be prioritised.

Captive husbandry has massively benefitted our understanding of countless species and contributed to some incredible conservation achievements. However, herpetoculture is a global interest and we know that every individual will perceive aspects of the hobby in different ways.

Rick continued: “Radiated tortoises certainly haven’t reached the value of ploughshares, so you don’t get that factor driving the collection of the last few adults. Ploughshare tortoises were fetching astronomical prices, radiated tortoises don’t go for that. They are largely being bred in captivity so I don’t think you would see that kind of effort to harvest the last adults. But, if we can’t figure out a way for communities to benefit from keeping tortoises abundant, it’s not going to work. Once, these people saw a tortoise crossing the road, now they see a dollar bill. Now there’s a value on them, people will pick them up. Madagascar has allowed the first commercial production permits to a guy on Mauritius to start breeding F2s which can then enter the commercial trade.”

Captive breeding often helps protect certain species as a greater supply can meet higher demand, however, that is not always the case. Without significant study into the intricacies that create the demand, it can be difficult to understand the scope of supply required to meet it.

Jordan Gray, Communications and Outreach Officer at TSA added: “If you look at the sulcata tortoise (Centrochelys sulcata) it’s a classic example of an animal that has been widely bred. It’s one of those converse situations where the demand doesn’t control the supply, the supply controls the demand. With sulcata tortoises, they’re still being illegally poached even with that amount of supply. You can put a dollar on anything, for example, a ‘new bloodline’ or ‘tortoises from this region get a few centimetres bigger’. In places like Indonesia, Singapore, South East Asia and the Middle East, will we ever (using the Sulcata as an example) quench the thirst or will the supply become the driver of the trade?”

“There are some things that people can do. Of course, always buy captive-bred. I think one thing to consider is to focus on supporting conservation efforts of the species in the country of origin. That is really important. One for the private keepers: when you breed, breed responsibly and legally. There are a lot of bloodlines of these animals out there so breeding responsibly means not looking to source new bloodlines that are illegally acquired.”

Into the wild

The TSA has recently embarked on a project to release 1000 tortoises back into the wild. The pilot scheme is expected to inform a strategy for the eventual release of more than 26,000 confiscated tortoises. The release is not only incredible for the illegally harvested animals but represents a major win for collaborative efforts between NGOs, zoos and authorities in Madagascar.

TSA-Madagascar Director Herilala Randriamahazo said: “This historic reintroduction represents a critical juncture for the TSA-Madagascar program and our country’s iconic radiated tortoise. If we can establish a reliable and effective method to return confiscated tortoises to their native landscape in protective communities, then we can begin to draw down the massive numbers we are supporting in captivity. Through the implementation of a successful working model to follow, we will have made a giant step towards initiating our Confiscation to Reintroduction strategy. The persistence of our treasured Radiated Tortoise in nature depends on it,” released” explained Rick. “The community have been very receptive to having tortoises here, back in their forest. They had undergone 2 years of training on how to steward tortoises. Our people are still there, we’re building an office centre so we will have a steady presence there. We have spent a lot of time and effort in saving these tortoises and we’re not going to put them back in harm’s way. We need to really invest in the communities that will protect them and keep poachers out. It’s worth the extra effort before we return them to the wild.”

TSA have just released 500 tortoises from their prerelease enclosures into the community-managed forest, with another 500 to be released next year. A subset of the tortoises will be equipped with radio-transmitters and GPS trackers to monitor their movements, habitat use, and survival. This information, combined with community’s ability to protect and manage the tortoises and their habitat, will help guide future releases.