2020 Turtle Survival

A PUBLIC ATION OF THE TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE

Turtle Survival

2020

TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

BOARD MEMBERS: Heather Barrett Andre Daneault Susie Ellis, PhD Michael Fouraker Kim Gray Tim Gregory, PhD Brian Horne, PhD Rick Hudson, President John Iverson, PhD Cristina Jones

FEATURES

EXCLUSIVES, NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Patricia Koval, LLC, Chair

Inside Cover – From the President’s Desk

Palmer “Satch” Krantz

5 – Sharing Turtle Knowledge Globally

Dwight Lawson, PhD, Vice President

6 – Turtle Survival Center

3 – Board Updates

Lonnie McCaskill

51 – Thinking Outside the Box

58 – Behler Award

John Mitchell

54 – Baby Steps for Southern Bog Turtles

60 – Pritchard Tribute

Anders Rhodin, MD

56 – Whirlwind Adventure in India

Walter Sedgwick Frank Slavens CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Andrew Walde ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

2 – Meet the Staff

61 – Pritchard Award 66 – Member Spotlights

RANGE COUNTY UPDATES 14 – Bangladesh (Batagur baska Project) 16 – Bangladesh (Creative Conservation Alliance)

70 – Donor Recognition

PARTNER NEWS 4 – Partners

Amy Carter

18 – India

62 – TSA Partner News

Jordan Gray

24 – Madagascar

David Hedrick

63 – Brewery Partnerships

30 – Belize

Jan Holloway Emily Kiefner

35 – Cambodia 38 – Indonesia

TURTLE SURVIVAL CENTER STAFF

40 – Myanmar

Carol Alvarez, RMA, NCPT

46 – Colombia

Clinton Doak

50 – NAFTRG

John Greene Cris Hagen Nathan Haislip RANGE COUNTRY PROGRAM LEADERS Germán Forero-Medina, PhD

instagram.com/TurtleSurvival

Kalyar Platt, PhD Herilala Randriamahazo, PhD

facebook.com/TurtleSurvival

Shailendra Singh, PhD

Turtle Survival Alliance © 2020

twitter.com/TurtleSurvival Contents of this publication should be cited as: Author. (2020) Article Title. Turtle Survival, pp. xx-xx.

ABOUT THE COVER: In early June, the field team in India’s Terai Arc Landscape, led by Arunima Singh and Sreeparna Dutta (pictured), resumed their population studies of the region’s turtles. Here, as with our collaborative programs across the world, the TSA was affected in various ways by the COVID-19 pandemic. Turtles, however, continued to follow their ancient instincts. Whenever and wherever possible, the TSA continued our frontline work to make a lasting impact for endangered species, some of which depend on us for survival. Because threats to turtles only amplify when we are not there to address them, turtle conservation does not take a day off. PHOTO CREDIT: SHAILENDRA SINGH

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MEET THE STAFF

TSA Welcomes New Staff Member: Amy Carter Amy Carter joined the Turtle Survival Alliance as Director of Development in September 2020. Previously, Amy worked as Chief Advancement Officer for Lowcountry Land Trust and Director of Development and Marketing for Charleston Parks Conservancy where she led all fundraising, marketing, and communications efforts. She also spent several years in Washington, D.C. at the National Ocean Service and in Santa Cruz, California managing conservation, philanthropy, and marketing programs for the Planning and Conservation League Foundation and Island Conservation.

Through the last fifteen years of her career, Amy has been intimately involved in building both international and community-based organizations focused on preventing extinctions as well as conservation of natural resources and greenspaces. She received the US Department of Interior’s Partners in Conservation award in 2009 for her work at Island Conservation and is a graduate of the Fred. R. Sheheen NonProfit Leadership Institute at Francis Marion University and Leadership Charleston.

She has served on volunteer steering committees for Surfrider Foundation, Spoleto Festival USA, Possibilities Without Borders, and the Junior League of Charleston. A native of South Carolina, Amy grew up exploring the fields, forests, marshes, and beaches of the Lowcountry and developing a love for its wild landscapes, plants, and animals.

ABOUT THE TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE “Zero turtle extinctions in the 21st century”

with a home base in Texas at the Fort Worth

– a bold pledge by a bold group of con-

Zoo. With growth also came the need for

servationists. The Turtle Survival Alliance

a facility to house and provide assurance

(TSA) is in its 19th year of this commitment

colonies for some of the world’s most

to the more than 300 tortoise and fresh-

endangered turtles and tortoises. Thus, the

water turtle species and the six continents

Turtle Survival Center, now home to more

on which they reside. Created in 2001 in

than 700 specimens, was constructed in

response to the “Asian Turtle Crisis,” the

rural coastal South Carolina.

title given to the rampant and unsustainable harvest of Asian turtles, the TSA has since expanded to create a global chelonian conservation network.

Now, with your help, the TSA provides breeding programs, assurance colonies, field research, culturally appropriate conservation initiatives and public outreach,

During its first four years, the TSA oper-

and shares new research and techniques

ated as a task force for the International

throughout the chelonian conservation com-

Union for Conservation of Nature’s Tortoise

munity. Through working collaborations

and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group

with zoos, aquariums, universities, private

(TFTSG). In 2005, the TSA became an

turtle enthusiasts, veterinarians, government

independent 501(c) (3) nonprofit, initially

agencies, and conservation organizations,

02 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

the TSA is widely recognized as a catalyst for turtle conservation, with a reputation for swift and decisive action.

The Turtle Survival Alliance continues to be a global force in the effort to protect tortoises and freshwater turtles from their most significant threats. Habitat loss, poaching, and pollution continue to wreak havoc on turtle and tortoise populations worldwide. The TSA is committed, now more than ever, to fight for the preservation of these animals.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The TSA Welcomed Two New Board Members This Year: Heather Barrett and Cristina Jones Heather Barrett is Deputy Director for the BFREE Biological Field Station in southern Belize. Heather has been deeply involved with the TSA and BFREE collaboration to save the critically endangered Central American River Turtle (Dermatemys mawii), or “Hicatee.” She manages all of BFREE’s educational programs and much of her energy is dedicated to empowering future conservation leaders through work training, outreach, and professional development opportunities.

Cristina Jones is the Turtles Project Coordinator for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. As the lead of seven interagency/interorganizational working groups, she collaborates with turtle biologists, law enforcement officers, and citizen scientists within Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC), Desert Tortoise Council, and the TSA to identify, coordinate, and conduct priority research and implement conservation actions for turtles in Arizona, and across North America.

We also welcomed back Frank Slavens, Mike Fouraker, and Susie Ellis as Board members. We heartily thank our departing Board members, Bill Dennler, Hugh Quinn, and Russ Mittermeier, who have all agreed to continue working with us as members of Committees. On behalf of the Board of Directors, we wish to extend our sincerest gratitude for their years of service and support.

Heather Barrett

Cristina Jones

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PARTNERS

Partners are the Key to Our Success The Turtle Survival Alliance is proud to acknowledge the following organizations that make our work possible. The organizations listed here provide a range of services supporting our mission, including guidance, networking, strategic planning, funding, husbandry, rescue, animal management, marketing and public relations, field research, logistical and technical support, salaried positions, and other resources.

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FEATURE

Sharing Turtle Knowledge Globally David Hedrick and Jordan Gray

Schools closed and kids at home. Outreach

the annual symposium. Could we logistically,

global platform. It also opened a window,

programs canceled. Spring was not shaping

legally, and most important, responsibly, host

giving those who have never attended or

up the way we had anticipated. We im-

the annual symposium? In continuing our al-

presented at a scientific meeting, a chance

mediately began shifting gears and started

ready active virtual engagement, the TSA and

to see what it is like, engage, and hopefully

providing a series of interactive live-stream

IUCN TFTSG decided to move forward with

be inspired. It is our intention to continue

webinars in March 2020. The first was an

the 1st ever Virtual, and 18th Annual, Sym-

to provide a virtual component within the

introduction to the Turtle Survival Alliance,

posium on the Conservation and Biology of

annual symposium moving forward, and to

followed by a Q & A series about all aspects

Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles. We wanted

always work to provide creative opportuni-

of turtle and tortoise biology, ecology, and

to provide a place for the global voices of

ties to share research from around the world.

global inhabitation. Next was the “TSA

turtle conservation to present their research

Two virtual poster sessions and eight days

Around the World” series, exploring our

and “Share Turtle Knowledge Globally.”

of video presentations are now archived and

global programs and partnerships. This series is still ongoing. These webinars continue to be very popular, attracting an active and engaged audience spanning the globe.

This year’s symposium was an unmatched virtual opportunity for those in our field to

accessible in perpetuity on our website and YouTube channel.

share their research, initiatives, techniques,

Outreach and the annual symposium looked

and accomplishments, engaging safely and

very different in 2020, but the numbers are

For several months we watched, waited, and

comfortably from their own homes and

amazing. Tens of thousands of people across

complied with regulatory social-distancing

offices. While we missed not seeing one

the Earth participated in and continue to

measures aimed at flattening the curve of

another in person within a communal setting

view both the webinars and the symposium

the pandemic. We struggled with projecting

this year, this format provided a chance for

presentations. We are excited about the

the future for our endeavors. One of those

many, who wouldn’t have been able to pres-

prospects for the future of Sharing Turtle

endeavors at the forefront of our minds was

ent their research in person, to share it on a

Knowledge Globally!

To schedule a tour of the Turtle Survival Center, please contact Cris Hagen, Director of Animal Management, at chagen@turtlesurvival.org.

To schedule a virtual or physical outreach event please contact Jordan Gray, Communications and Outreach Coordinator, at jgray@turtlesurvival.org.

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TURTLE SURVIVAL CENTER

Turtle Survival Center 2020 Cris Hagen, Clinton Doak, Carol Alvarez, John Greene, and Nathan Haislip

The TSC continued our breeding success of the critically endangered Indochinese Box Turtle complex, hatching all three species in 2020, including the Bourret’s Box Turtle with an incredible 15. PHOTO CREDIT: CRIS HAGEN

The Turtle Survival Center (TSC), like most institutions everywhere, witnessed an anomalous year in 2020. While day-to-day management of the turtle collection was business as usual, we suspended all travel, guest visitations, tours, volunteer assistance, and outreach events, from the end of March onward. Being unable to go out into communities or bring people to the TSC to educate them about the plight of turtles was greatly missed, as it is one of the most important components of our mission. We did, however, safely allow six interns to join the team for several months. Not only do our interns learn the ins and outs of running a chelonian conservation center, but we also

06 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

strive to provide supplemental education regarding various topics associated with turtle conservation and biology. We always wish our interns the best with their future endeavors, hoping they will effectively use and pass on the knowledge and skills acquired while at the TSC, and encourage them to apply their intern experience by engaging in turtle conservation activities.

cies are the Rote Island Snake-necked Turtle

With no tours or events happening this year, we were able to focus 100% of our daily efforts on the collection’s care and reproductive success. This culminated with another impressive year of reproduction, hatching just over 100 individuals of 16 different Endangered and Critically Endangered species. Those spe-

Star Tortoise (Geochelone platynota), Spiny

(Chelodina mccordi), Southeast Asian Box Turtle (Cuora amboinensis), Yellow-headed Box Turtle (Cuora aurocapitata), Bourret’s Box Turtle (Cuora bourreti), Indochinese Box Turtle (Cuora galbinifrons), McCord’s Box Turtle (Cuora mccordi), Southern Keeled Box Turtle (Cuora mouhotii obsti), Southern Vietnam Box Turtle (Cuora picturata), Burmese Hill Turtle (Heosemys spinosa), Forsten’s Tortoise (Indotestudo forstenii), Sulawesi Forest Turtle (Leucocephalon yuwonoi), Asian Black Tortoise (Manouria emys phayrei), Vietnamese Pond Turtle (Mauremys annamensis), Rednecked Pond Turtle (Mauremys nigricans),

and Beale’s Eyed Turtle (Sacalia bealei).

Of particular note are the number of Indochinese and Bourret’s box turtle eggs that hatched this year. In total we hatched 14 Indochinese and 15 Bourret’s box turtles, which may be a record number for any one location in a single season. Adding to this success is the number of bloodlines these important first generation offspring represent, with 9 distinct parentages and 4 additional maternal lines for Indochinese Box Turtle, and 4 distinct parentages and 8 additional maternal lines for Bourret’s Box Turtle. Also, for a second year in a row, we hatched all three of the Indochinese Box Turtle species complex, including the Southern Vietnam Box Turtle.

In continuing our efforts to further diversify genetic lineages of the genus Cuora managed at the TSC, in 2020 we acquired 5 new

specimens representing two species. Two adult

this species in the wild, to hopefully develop

male Pan’s Box Turtles (Cuora pani) were

a much-needed captive assurance colony

acquired, along with the important acquisi-

for this critically endangered turtle. This is

tion of one male and three female McCord’s

especially important for the species’ genetic

Box Turtles. The four McCord’s Box Turtle

heritage in creeks that they have already been

are unrelated to any of our current collection

largely extirpated from. Expanding on our

residing at the TSC. We anxiously await their

North American Freshwater Turtle Research

contributions to future generations of offspring

Group, the TSA is now starting to focus on

to help save their species from extinction.

captive management of imperiled species

Our most ambitious acquisition of 2020 was the only known Flattened Musk Turtle (Sternotherus depressus) in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) population. It is a single male, approximately 30 years old.

native to the United States. As the TSA turns to focus on imperiled turtles in our own “backyard” we hope to engage with additional species and states for their protection and help recover their populations.

This small, and often overlooked species, is endemic to the Black Warrior River system of Alabama. The TSA is continuing discussions with state and federal agencies, as well as the academic professionals working with

Contact: Cris Hagen, Turtle Survival Alliance, 1030 Jenkins Road, Suite D, Charleston, SC 29407, USA [chagen@ turtlesurvival.org]

This was our second year in a row hatching the Rote Island Snake-necked Turtle with 6 produced. PHOTO CREDIT: CRIS HAGEN

Captive reproduction of the Southern Vietnamese Box Turtle at the TSC continues to be amongst the best in the world. PHOTO CREDIT: NATHAN HAISLIP

The Indochinese Box Turtle assurance colony produced an all-time high 14 hatchlings this year. PHOTO CREDIT: CRIS HAGEN

2020 marked the third consecutive year reproducing the Sulawesi Forest Turtle at the TSC. PHOTO CREDIT: CRIS HAGEN

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ANIMAL MANAGEMENT

A Stack of Pancakes Cris Hagen and Chris Leone

This female Pancake Tortoise is one of 23 now under management of the Turtle Survival Alliance, and housed at Garden State Tortoise. PHOTO CREDIT: CHRIS LEONE

In late May, the TSA was contacted by

in a permanent home with conservation

dix II to Appendix I. The original intent of

veterinarian Cathy Johnson-Delaney from

interests.

this acquisition was for the owner to start

Everett, Washington with a special request.

For the past 6 months she had been rehabili-

In December of 2019 the group of critically

a breeding group that could contribute to captive conservation efforts. However, the

tating 23 Pancake Tortoises (Malacochersus

endangered tortoises were imported from

tornieri) but now, with their rehabilitation

Germany, not long before their international

and malnourished. With only indoor facili-

behind them, she was looking to place them

trade status changed from CITES Appen-

ties available, Dr. Johnson-Delaney set up

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tortoises arrived in poor health, dehydrated,

Several tortoises contest over hibiscus flowers, one of a diverse array of items offered to the animals for their dietary health. PHOTO CREDIT: CHRIS LEONE

several large enclosures in a conference room, and painstakingly nursed the tortoises back to health. Under good husbandry and veterinary care, including an excellent diet, all were thriving within a few months. By this time though, COVID-19 was making its mark on the U.S., and the owner, compounded by other newly-arisen issues, decided to relocate the group. The TSA was the first organization contacted because we already manage a large conservation breeding group of this species.

Before making a final decision to accept the tortoises, they first needed to be screened for pathogens, including herpesvirus and Testudines intranuclear coccidiosis (TINC).

After that was completed and all test results were returned negative, arrangements were made to ship them to the Turtle Survival Center (TSC) in South Carolina. At the TSC we recorded weights and measurements, inserted microchips for identifica-

tion, and entered them into the collection database. They will also be registered with the regional studbook for the species. The group consists of 3 males and 20 females, most appearing to be captive bred or captive raised. The TSA already manages over 200 pancake tortoises, and this new acquisition further increases the genetic diversity of the captive population.

The TSA does not maintain any Pancake Tortoises at the TSC, so we needed to identify one of our partners willing to manage this group on breeding loan. We reached out to our friends at theTurtleRoom and Garden State Tortoise, and they answered the call.

With an agreement in place, the tortoises were transferred once more, and are now thriving in spacious outdoor habitats appropriate for the species.

A New Home Each morning as I make my way around the

property to check on our shelled residents, I take a moment to sit with my coffee at our newest enclosure. The sun rises over the pines and blasts this “little piece of Africa,” as I like to call it, with its morning rays. If you wait just a few moments, you’ll notice movement within the habitat’s rocky outcropping and, eventually, little reptilian heads with beady black eyes will appear.

This enclosure is home to a large group of Pancake Tortoises. Observing their antics on a day-to-day basis never gets old and on these sunny summer days, they really make my mornings.

In early June, Cris Hagen notified us that a large group of Pancake Tortoises would possibly need to be placed on breeding loan and by late June we received all 23 tortoises.

Naturalistic husbandry is a focal point at theTurtleRoom and Garden State Tortoise, and this quickly became an exciting venture as I scrambled to build an African-like

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outdoor enclosure for this special group of uniquely-evolved tortoises. Making something look “African” in New Jersey would prove to be challenging but certainly not impossible. Living on the state’s southern coast offers some benefits such as a natural, well-drained, sandy substrate, and sufficient temperatures between the months of late April to late October, typically. These components would already make it feasible to house this species outdoors a good portion of the year. I just needed to find a way to maximize these characteristics.

Using lumber suited for outdoor use, a 30 x 10 foot enclosure was constructed with 20” high walls that feature an 8” overhang to prevent potential escapes as this species is an ex-

cellent climber. From the start, the enclosure would receive the same predator and theft protection that our entire property receives: a high powered electric fence, several camera systems, motion sensors, and dogs. Once the wooden retaining wall was complete, I opted against partially burying the perimeter into the ground to prevent digging, and instead built up the substrate to between 8-10” in depth. This was achieved by adding several tons of a sand-fill mix. This was mixed with our natural sandy substrate, a beneficial feature that is common around the Pine Barrens, to create a very accommodating substrate.

This allowed for an arid appearance, proper drainage, and of course, adequate depth for egg-laying. Various plants were chosen for aesthetic appeal, cover, and to promote graz-

A female tortoise warms herself under the summer New Jersey sun. PHOTO CREDIT: CHRIS LEONE

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ing behavior. Sedum, spirea, zebra grass, and lavender are the most prominent vegetation throughout the enclosure, and brought this “raised bed” to life.

Pancake tortoises are found basking and hiding within the crevices of a rocky outcrop known as a kopje in their native Africa, basically a rock island surrounded by vast plains.

This peculiar species is classically known for jamming itself into the tightest spaces of the rocks, and will comfortably sit motionless for extended periods, both horizontally and vertically. The Pancake Tortoise is capable of inflating its lungs, which allows the thin, flat shell to expand, purposefully lodging the tortoise within crevices. This behavior enables them to avoid predation, and they will

naturally demonstrate this behavior in captive situations making it difficult to dislodge them. To promote normal behaviors, it was important for me to create a naturalistic kopje for these animals.

To create the Pancake Tortoises’ kopje I visited a local garden center and bought some interesting pieces of Pennsylvania field stone. Large flat pieces situated on blockier or rounded stones would make suitable “shelves” for climbing and would inevitably create caves. Smaller jagged pieces in combination with miniature boulder-like ones quickly began to replicate an ancient rock piling. I strategically placed the stones by securely anchoring base pieces firmly into the substrate, creating various options for the enclosure’s inhabitants. The elevated areas receive full sun exposure, offering the tortoises the chance to bask in the open, but because they retain heat from the sun, the animals can remain hidden and still obtain warmth. The plant life selected for this enclosure dominated the outer rim of these kopje replicas, and they began to quickly grow through them by rooting into crevices and trapping nutrient-rich substrate much like in nature. In just a matter of weeks, the entire unit began to look as though it had been there for decades.

New Jersey’s spring and autumn weather can be unpredictable, so standard operating procedure here is to add a cold frame to the enclosure so the animals have a place to retreat during extended unfavorable conditions. This cedar-framed 8’ x 2’ cold frame was situated at ground level in the south end of the habitat, and a small entrance hole cut into the front so the tortoises could effortlessly enter and exit.

Inside the cold frame I created another smaller version of a kopje, and the tortoises showed no hesitation in using it. The cold frame is equipped with polycarbonate panels that can be propped up on extremely hot days to allow for air-flow and closed on cooler ones. This addition allows us to keep the tortoises outside as long as possible, and also gives them (a chance to) to avoid excessive rainfall.

The enclosure at Garden State Tortoise utilizes various rock formations and plant types to replicate an African kopje. PHOTO CREDIT: CHRIS LEONE

For the entire summer of 2020 this pancake tortoise colony has thrived beautifully.

They’ve exhibited natural behaviors by using the rocky areas for hiding, exploring, and basking. The males make advances on the females frequently but in this large, properly designed enclosure the females are able to safely escape relentless males at any time, thus reducing stress. The tortoises are observed browsing on the lower portions of the sedums and weeds, but are also fed a diet of hibiscus leaves and flowers, curly endive, Mediterranean plantain, thorn lettuce, clover, and vetch; occasionally Mazuri tortoise diet is offered. For additional calcium, cuttlefish bone is strewn about the enclosure so the tortoises can nibble ad lib. To date, no eggs have been recovered, and egg-laying has not been observed, but we expect that to change over the coming months as they fully acclimate to their new residence.

By late October, the group will be moved to a reduced indoor version of their outdoor expanse, overwintered until Spring. The group remains in peak health and condition, and we are absolutely thrilled to have been given the chance to provide for them. As their care-

taker, I’d like to personally thank the TSA for not only trusting us with such a special group of tortoises, but for believing that we can give them an adequate, safe home. We’re excited to see what the future holds for this fantastic colony of Pancake Tortoises.

These types of conservation partnerships are what the TSA is all about. We work closely with our institutional partners and members to identify responsible and appropriate facilities where turtles can thrive and reproduce and contribute to the next generation. We thank Dr. Cathy Johnson-Delaney for offering these tortoises so we could bring them into a managed assurance colony and regional studbook that will add new lineages to the U.S. population and help to secure a future for the species through captive management.

Contact: Cris Hagen, Turtle Survival Alliance, 1030 Jenkins Road, Suite D, Charleston, SC 29407, USA [chagen@ turtlesurvival.org]; Chris Leone, Garden State Tortoise, [chris.leone@theturtleroom.org]

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RANGE COUNTRY UPDATE

BANGLADESH

Ten Years of Project Batagur baska: An Anniversary Celebration to Remember Doris Preininger, Rupali Ghosh, Peter Praschag, and Anton Weissenbacher I remember the first time pewter eyes gazed back at us as monochromatic greenishgrey faces emerged from the brilliant white eggshells encapsulating them. These were the eyes of the world’s first Northern River Terrapins (Batagur baska) hatched in captivity. The year was 2010, and with their momentous emergence, a new era for the conservation of this critically endangered species began.

In the ten years since that first ex situ (outside of nature) hatching event at the Vienna Zoo, we’ve ridden a decade-long roller coaster ride in our fight to save the Northern River Terrapin from extinction. The wave of support that followed the first captive hatching of the species allowed us to establish a collaborative in situ (in nature) conservation breeding project within the terrapin’s natural habitat in Bangladesh. And thus, Project

The Vienna Zoo team celebrating the 10 Year Anniversary of the Project Batagur baska in Bangladesh with the Karamjal station manager Rob (third from right), the keepers and the project manager Rupali Ghosh (third from left). PHOTO CREDIT: SIHAB KHALEDIN

Batagur baska was born.

turtle. That determination has brought us to

desh. Unnecessary travel was immediately

First, we searched the vast expanse of

where we are today: celebrating 10 years of

restricted, including the zoo team´s trip to

essential conservation efforts for the North-

Bangladesh. Our instructions for the staff

ern River Terrapin.

were similar to almost everywhere else

mangrove forests and tidal rivers known as the Sundarbans for any remnant turtles of a once prolific population. These efforts proved unsuccessful. Later, we discovered some individuals in village ponds and,

As project coordinator I started early with preparations for the program’s 10th anniversary. I began planning a Batagur sympo-

around the world: buy as much hand sanitizer and soap as you can get, stay home, keep your distance, and stay safe! Easier said than done, as the beginning of the

through their acquisition, slowly established

sium at the Vienna Zoo, and was able to

a breeding group. Two years later we expe-

persuade even the most photo-shy keepers

rienced breeding success, the first of several

in Bangladesh to pose with me for “Happy

prosperous hatching seasons yet to come.

Birthday” pictures. Then came COVID-19,

However, just as we achieved progress, so

and a 10-year celebration became the least

To continue ensuring reproductive success,

too did we encounter setbacks. Infections,

of our concerns. Among the tribulations

some staff members needed to be present at

disease, and theft troubled the project time

that became top priority was the safety of

the stations housing the terrapin’s assurance

and time again, but these setbacks made

our Indian project manager, who got stuck

colonies to secure nests and protect eggs from

the project team even more determined

in Calcutta en route to Bangladesh, and the

predators. Luckily, our keepers live very close

to secure the survival of this beleaguered

health and welfare of our staff in Bangla-

to the stations, and eventually the station

14 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

pandemic’s spread in Bangladesh coincided with the beginning of the terrapin’s nesting season.

A male terrapin affixed with a satellite transmitter is released into the Sundarbans where it will provide valuable data on movement, habits, and habitat preference. PHOTO CREDIT: RUPERT KAINRADL

managers were able to join forces with them.

were in danger. The beach where the eggs

with so many trials, we were still rewarded

To direct activities, project manager Rupali

were incubating was about to get flooded,

with some unexpected achievements. So,

Ghosh provided important instructions via

the water rising with every minute—what

if you feel like it, why not sing a happy

phone. In March, through well-coordinated

do we do? Our options were scarce so, when

birthday tune with us, and raise a glass to

activity, five nests were secured from nesting

safe to do so, Rob and one of the keepers

another 10 years of terrapin conservation to

beaches at two conservation stations. Two

braved the cyclone winds and rains and

come!

months later the first terrapins started to hatch.

quickly excavated the 21 imperiled eggs and

Despite this good fortune, our celebration

placed them in a sand-filled basket. They

would have to be put on hold, as we were not

transported the eggs to the only dry place

yet “out of the woods.”

available—the nearby mosque. For two

On 20 May, the super cyclone Amphan made landfall in the Sundarbans. It was the strongest tropical cyclone to strike the Ganges Delta since 2007, and the first super cyclonic storm to have formed in the Bay of Bengal since 1999. In the late afternoon, severe storm winds and heavy rain hit our breeding facility in Karamjal, and continued its siege until the next morning. At 7 PM, 3

days and nights the eggs remained in the mosque until the flood waters receded and they could be returned to their nest. Eight days later, 19 young terrapins hatched and crawled forth from the nest. Come rain or shine, and despite the challenges that befell our program, the 2020 breeding season ultimately yielded 115 hatchlings, all critical to the survival of their species.

hours after landfall, Rob, the station man-

We might not be able to celebrate our anni-

ager called very nervous. This year’s eggs

versary as planned, but throughout this year

Acknowledgments: We thank our partners the Prokriti O Jibon Foundation, the Bangladesh Forest Department, and the Turtle Survival Alliance. We are grateful for the long term support of the Zoological Society for the Conservation of Species and Populations (ZGAP), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Herpetologie und Terrarienkunde (DGHT), Austrian Zoo Organization (OZO), European Union of Aquarium Curators (EUAC), and Edith Haberland-Wagner Foundation.

Contact: Doris Preininger, Vienna Zoo, Maxingstraße 13b 1130 Vienna Austria [d.preininger@zoovienna.at]

A PUBLICATION OF THE TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE • TURTLESURVIVAL.ORG 15

RANGE COUNTRY UPDATE

BANGLADESH

Hatching the Future for Bangladesh Nafisa Islam Just like everyone else, the year 2020 started with new hopes and plans, and we had exciting ones for the Creative Conservation Alliance (CCA). Unfortunately, a global outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID19) forced everyone to change track and adjust to the new normal. Lack of attention towards wildlife conservation, especially illegal wildlife trade, has been suggested to be one of the underlying factors that caused this state of global emergency, and one that continues to be neglected in developing countries like Bangladesh.

Exacerbating social, economic, and environmental issues brought on by the pandemic, Bangladesh is feeling additional impacts from the adverse effects of climate change, and an influx of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. With regard to the latter, over 8,000 acres of reserved forest cover in Cox’s Bazar has been depleted to accommodate the refugees, a tragic circumstance that has caused massive habitat fragmentation and severely damaged the biodiversity of that area. The monetary damage is estimated to be more than $285 million. Furthermore, monsoon flooding has affected the Northern, Northeastern, and Southeastern regions of Bangladesh, rendering seven million people water-logged. To say that 2020 has been challenging would be a gross understatement.

Despite the challenges, there is still hope for wildlife conservation to prevail in Bangladesh through the CCA’s efforts to prevent regional extinction of some of the globally threatened turtle and tortoise species inhabiting it. The Turtle Conservation Center (TCC) that was built with support from the Bangladesh Forest Department, Turtle Survival

16 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

CCA team member Fahim Zaman alongside Khadems of the Shrine of Bayazid Bostami display this season’s Black Softshell Turtle hatchlings. PHOTO CREDIT: CCA

Alliance, Future for Nature, and several other donors, currently houses assurance colonies for four critically endangered native species: Keeled Box Turtle (Cuora mouhotii), Elongated Tortoise (Indotestudo elongata), Arakan Forest Turtle (Heosemys depressa), and Asian Giant Tortoise (Manouria emys).

The TCC was created to increase the captive population of Bangladesh’s native turtles and tortoises, with an ultimate vision of releasing turtle and tortoise offspring into communitymanaged forests in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. CCA has been working closely with the local indigenous communities in this area for almost a decade. Until these animals are headstarted to a size for release, we continue to increase our facilities for our turtles and tortoises, and to ensure maximum effectiveness of the captive breeding process.

For the last two years, our focus has been on increasing the number of Asian Giant

Tortoises in Bangladesh. We have successfully executed this plan by producing 46 hatchlings in 2019, and 56 hatchlings in 2020. Furthermore, we aim to initiate a pilot reintroduction of these captive-bred tortoises in 2021, utilizing 200 acres of community-managed forest in accordance with five villages. Following release, radio telemetry will be used to track the tortoises’ behavior and movements, with a goal of measuring adaptive response, and the overall success of this tool as a re-wilding strategy. This release program is expected to improve communication and bridge relationship tensions with the community and other stakeholders who feel that we have “taken their tortoises.”

Furthering our continued support of local communities in terms of reducing their dependency on forest resources, the CCA continues to engage in, provide initiatives, and encourage alternative livelihood options for their citizens. Some of these commu-

nities are already benefiting from CCA’s school for conservation. This school was established with the aim of educating and empowering indigenous tribes, like the Mro, by including wildlife conservation topics in the school syllabus. The syllabi encourage the conservation method of community-based forest protection by reconnecting locals with their cultural heritage, and increasing their affinity toward the forest and its resources.

An additional project we have invested in during the past two years has been to increase the population of the critically endangered Black Softshell (Nilssonia nigricans). Also famously known as the “Bostami turtle,” the largest population of this species throughout their range is found in a 2-acre temple pond at the Shrine of Bayazid Bostami in Chattogram, Bangladesh. The total population within the temple pond is estimated to be 200-400 individuals. For years, female turtles have been laying their eggs in the soft soil on the pond’s perimeter. However, surrounding construction, coupled with gradual hardening of the soil, and disturbed or degraded nesting sites, are all resulting in poor hatching success.

Exacerbating this issue, predators like crows, dogs, and foxes pose a continuous threat as they excavate nests, and feed on the eggs.

To augment the compounding issues negatively impacting nest success, we created a collaborative program with support from Shrine authorities to incubate and hatch eggs, and rear the offspring until they are large enough to be released back into the temple pond environment. Thus far we successfully produced 38 Black Softshell hatchlings in 2019 and 150 in 2020. Coronavirus imposed travel restrictions impacted our access to the site for part of the nesting season, but we still managed to obtain an impressive number of eggs. There have been ongoing discussions with the Forest Department and Shrine authorities to establish a second population of this species in another area to further increase the number of Black Softshells safely residing in Bangladesh.

The CCA and villagers of the Mro community gather to discuss the future release of captive-bred Asian Giant Tortoises in their community-managed forest. PHOTO CREDIT: CCA

A cohort of young Asian Giant Tortoises hatched and reared at the Turtle Conservation Centre receive a soak and examination. PHOTO CREDIT: NATHAN HAISLIP

Historically, the captive breeding of tortoises and freshwater turtles has had little success in Bangladesh. Consequently, these previous failed attempts have garnered a negative view towards this tool as a conservation method.

However, CCA’s efforts appear to be paving the way for acceptance of this method and, in combination with our community-based initiatives, illustrates that with support from both the government and those communities, it is possible to formulate sustainable wildlife conservation strategies that can simultaneously address environmental, humanitarian, social, and economic factors.

Acknowledgments: We give thanks to the Bangladesh Forest Department, local communities of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, and authorities of the Shrine of Bayazid Bostami for their support. We are grateful to the Turtle Conservation Fund, Whitley Fund for Nature, Nashville Zoo, National Geographic, Future for Nature, Prince Bernhard Foundation, and numerous private donors for funding for our work.

Contact: Shahriar Rahman, Creative Conservation Alliance, Avenue 3, Road 13 A, House 925, Mirpur DOHS, Dhaka, Bangladesh [caesar_rahman2004@yahoo.com]

A PUBLICATION OF THE TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE • TURTLESURVIVAL.ORG 17

RANGE COUNTRY UPDATE

INDIA

Forever Forward: Making Strides for Indian Turtle Conservation Amidst Challenges Shailendra Singh, Saurav Dewan, and Arunima Singh

A female Red-crowned Roofed Turtle shares her Chambal River basking site with a Mugger Crocodile. PHOTO CREDIT: KUNAL JAIN

“One more riverbank and then let’s call it

Returning to the hatchery camp, however,

attention from any unexpected passersby,

a day,” says Pawan Pareek, team leader

team motivation rises as Shishubhan cooks

having extensive experience with infamous

of our nest protection program, assuring

their favorite curry rice while Pawan, remi-

ravines and their bandits! As an example, in

Shishubhan an early off as another day

niscing H.G. Wells, exclaims, “to me there

May 2018, bandits were so agitated with the

gradually slips into dusk. Tracing the signs

is always an air of expectation about that

presence of guards at our sandbar hatchery

evening stillness.” Hopes are high this will

that they demolished the entire camp, and

be their night of redemption.

dumped newly emerged hatchlings into the

of nesting, it’s their twentieth day patrolling the banks of the Chambal River, the last known stronghold of the critically endangered Red-crowned Roofed turtle (Batagur

“It’s not always the best idea to camp on the

river before we could record our data.

kachuga). It’s already early March, and with

river when you expect a storm, but this is

True to Pawan’s premonition, this is “the

only three nests secured, the season has

when ‘they’ move and change locations,”

night.” He can barely sleep as he waits

begun slowly. Today, the river’s lazy flow,

says Santram, the program’s field techni-

through the nocturnal storm and its final

incandescent silver of the rising moon, and

cian while turning the only solar lamp off.

passing into stillness for when he can lift his

an unusual breeze further adds to the gloom.

He doesn’t want to attract unwarranted

gear and run out to patrol the banks under

18 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

the surreal saffron dawning of morning. The day begins with a frenzy of activity. During the night, dozens of females crawled forth from the Chambal’s murky waters, just as their ancestors have for millions of years, to nest on its sandy banks. One by one the team records, excavates, and translocates each nest to the safety of our riverside hatchery. By day’s end the team has secured 40 nests—the species’ future—and this is just the beginning of the season.

By mid-March, and just as COVID-19 regulations were being implemented across the country, the team had secured 75 vulnerable Batagur nests before other “competitors,” namely jackals and local human residents, could raid the beaches. By season’s end, this number increased to 300. Intensively working through numerous dusks to dawns, a myriad of events and uncertainties, including special COVID-19 permission, and with inspiring assistance from local field technicians, over 6,500 Batagur hatchlings were safely released into the river.

Now in its 15th year, this project to help stabilize the Chambal’s Red-crowned Roofed Turtle population has significantly increased annual hatchling recruitment for a population dangerously low in number. We estimate that less than 500 reproducing females remain. In an effort to further increase recruitment success, 100 hatchlings from each season’s hatch are reared at our modest head start facility in Garhaita, and later released. It’s only through these rigorous and consistent efforts that the Red-crowned Roofed Turtle has any chance of long-term survival.

Simultaneous to our efforts on the Chambal, for Arunima and Sreeparna it was an equally busy season leading both frontline field research and confiscation handling.

As anticipated, the “season of smuggling” began with the onset of winter. From the first confiscation of over 600 softshell turtles representing four species in Prata-

Shishubhan and Santram record hatchling Red-crowned and Three-striped roofed turtle hatchlings at our riverside hatchery along the Chambal River. Now in its 15th year, this program has hatched and released over 120,000 hatchling turtles. PHOTO CREDIT: PAWAN PAREEK

pgarh, to the most recent seizure of over 500 softshells clandestinely hidden beneath onion sacks in Amethi district, the team, along with our many conservation and law enforcement partners triaged, rehabilitated, and released thousands of turtles.

For species recognized as Endangered or Critically Endangered, a designated few individuals from the past year’s numerous confiscations have been incorporated into our assurance colonies at the Laboratory for Aquatic Biology at the Kukrail Gharial and Turtle Rehabilitation Center (KGTRC).

Here, the TSA partners with the Endangered Project of Uttar Pradesh Forest Department (UPFD) to manage assurance colonies for several of India’s endangered turtle species. This Center is multi-use and provides long-term rehabilitation and care for turtles confiscated from wildlife trade, a place to perform scientific studies, as well as develop new research and conservation initiatives for Northern India. Focusing on some of India’s most imperiled species, the assurance colonies currently consist of Crowned

River Turtle (Hardella thurjii), Red-crowned Roofed Turtle, Tricarinate Hill Turtle (Melanochelys tricarinata), and the Indian Narrowheaded Softshell Turtle (Chitra indica).

Of particular note, once a prolific species inhabiting much of the Indo-Gangetic Plain, the Indian Narrow-headed Softshell is now one of critical conservation concern. In concert with our assurance colony efforts, and in resuming the UPFD’s Endangered Species Project’s conservation program for this species, we actively assisted KGTRC staff to translocate well over 300 eggs to the KGTRC from vulnerable nests along the Yamuna and Ghaghra rivers. Here, they could incubate safely and naturally in a sand hatchery. In January, 220 of them hatched.

To give them a better chance of survival, the hatchlings are being head started. After being head started to an appropriate size, most of the juveniles will be released into the Ganga River where the Government of India is carrying out a rejuvenation initiative, Namami Gange. With high hopes, the release of these turtles will help the wild

A PUBLICATION OF THE TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE • TURTLESURVIVAL.ORG 19

population rebound there.

Adding to our success with the softshell turtle, we experienced a flurry of hatchlings for two of the other species maintained in the KGTRC’s assurance colonies. The first week of June saw the hatching of 30

our ex situ team, led by Arunima Singh, who has strived to elucidate its complexities, performing exhaustive studies in the Terai Arc landscape. This year we artificially incubated 38 Crowned River Turtle eggs, achieving a 79% hatch rate.

Crowned River Turtles and 9 Tricarinate

The Terai project team is also making strides

Hill Turtles. Very little is known about the

to understand the population dynamics and

reproductive aspects of the former, so to

community ecology of freshwater turtles in

better understand their reproductive ecology

the Sarju River. Utilizing extensive sam-

In January, 220 Indian Narrow-headed Softshell Turtles hatched at the KGTRC from vulnerable nests translocated from the Yamuna and Ghaghra rivers. PHOTO CREDIT: SHAILENDRA SINGH

Due to our ever-increasing positive relationship with fishermen along the Sarju River, Crowned River Turtles incidentally captured in nets are handed over to the TSA for documentation and release. PHOTO CREDIT: SREEPARNA DUTTA

20 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

pling methods, a total of 1,029 turtles were sampled, morphometric measurements taken, marked, and released at the precise location of their occurrence. One hundred seventytwo were recaptured. Of note, Sreeparna observed several male Crowned River Turtles basking on the river’s banks—a very rare observation for highly aquatic species.

A thousand kilometers to the southeast of Terai, in the state of West Bengal, our efforts to preserve one of the world’s most endangered turtles continued amongst programthreatening flooding and COVID-19 travel restrictions. Spanning across southeast India and southwest Bangladesh, the Sundarbans, a complex matrix of waterways and mangrove forests, is home to the majority of Northern River Terrapins (Batagur baska) remaining on Earth. It’s believed that only a small handful of wild individuals exist. As the most endangered species in India, and with less than 50 adults residing at five captive locations across four countries, any setbacks pose an existential threat.

In May, nature dealt a blow to our recovery efforts for the Northern River Terrapin as the super cyclone Amphan laid siege to the Sundarbans and the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve (STR). Adding to a reproductive season that already saw a 50% reduction in egg-laying, the storm’s surge twice flooded the nesting beach during the later stages of incubation—a most precarious time. As the flood waters receded, STR field assistant Sujeet was able to return to the area and unearthed the nests. To his dismay only 12 lucky hatchlings survived the cyclone’s wrath. If not for local team’s quick action, the hatchlings would have surely perished of asphyxiation. Cyclonic effects aside, the hatching of 12 terrapins still provides new members crucial to their species’ survival.

Despite the one-two punch of COVID-19 and Amphan, we diligently continue to carry forward the efforts of past years, rearing over 370 juvenile terrapins in earthen ponds at

four field stations, with all breeding adults safely secured. Our collaborative program is on the verge of expanding the developmental scale of the current breeding program, including incubation and head start facilities at the STR. With consideration to the uncertainties of the weather, a single-room incubation facility is being constructed at Sajnekhali where at least half of the eggs from forthcoming seasons can be incubated to improve hatching success. Furthermore, in early 2020 a “soft-release” enclosure was built within the STR, encompassing natural mangrove vegetation that experiences tidally influenced water exchange, similar to their nature habitat. Following its completion 28 subadult terrapins were released into the enclosure to test its efficacy for future re-wilding experiments.

In concert, the release of satellite-tagged animals is planned to better understand turtle dispersal and survival. These transmitters have been secured through active fundraising, and we await necessary government approval for release.

Far to the northeast, the Brahmaputra Floodplain of Northeast India represents one of the most important regions for turtle diversity on Earth. Along the Brahmaputra River, Assamese culture is intrinsically tied to the environment the river creates. From agriculture, to fishing, to its artistic textiles, the river provides the main artery for which subsistence and culture are derived. Here, too, the age-old art of gamocha weaving finds its lifeblood.

To promote environmental stewardship and offer an alternative livelihood we are collaborating with traditional weavers in the village of Bishwanath Ghat to create unique gamochas. The gamocha is the most respected piece of cloth in Assamese culture. This intricately woven cloth is an art form, one that expresses emotion, respect, and values for the Assamese. For those who weave it, every design tells a story, and in their own words, “Every thread is like a timeline of their own life.”

This year, 12 lucky Northern River Terrapin hatchlings still managed to hatch after the super cyclone Amphan laid seige to their species’ assurance colony at the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve. PHOTO CREDIT: SHAILENDRA SINGH

Members of KASO SAKHI (Friends of the Turtles) pose with hand-woven gamochas featuring a turtle motif in Biswanath Ghat. PHOTO CREDIT: ARPITA DUTTA

To uplift the economic condition for the

of income, decreases the dependency of

weavers, help them continue their tradi-

subsistence fishing and agriculture along

tional art form, maintain their identity, and

the Brahmaputra, and helps to conserve the

provide an avenue for turtle conservation

riverine ecosystem for turtles, dolphins, and

awareness, in November 2019 we formed

other native wildlife. Young local women

the self-help group “KASO SAKHI,” which

like KASO SAKHI member Pranali Das

means “Friends of the turtles” under leader-

have learned the intricacies of weaving

ship of our centre manager, Arpita Dutta.

and are now bread winners for their family.

This program and group identity supports

With high hopes, we believe such initia-

weavers financially as an alternative source

tives can help restore livelihood, culture,

A PUBLICATION OF THE TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE • TURTLESURVIVAL.ORG 21

Adult Black Softshell Turtles feed on pellets offered to them at Nagshankar Temple, the largest captive population of this critically endangered species in India.

PHOTO CREDIT: RAGHAVENDRA SHARMA

and an appreciation of nature among local

Extinct in the Wild due to over-collection

in the pond. Over the course of five days we

communities, eventually engaging them as

for consumption. Although the religious

dug makeshift pens, set up temporary shelters

active stakeholders in long-term conserva-

practice of donation may have been the

on the temple premises, arranged a group of

tion efforts to safeguard flagship species of

species’ saving grace, deplorable conditions

local volunteers of which even enlisted the

the region.

including overcrowding, marginal to no

services of experienced ex-poachers, and

nesting or basking space, suboptimal to poor

started cleaning the pond with large construc-

diet, and scorching daytime temperatures

tion machinery! The capture conditions were

make the ponds increasingly uninhabitable,

trying as we pulled large softshells weighing

not to mention posing the risk of severe

up to 40 kg from waist deep, viscous mud.

health issues for their residents.

Our final tally was a total of 112 turtles rep-

It’s also here in northeast India that our collaborative program is leading the way in addressing locally held myths for poorly kept turtles in temple ponds across Assam.

Here, religious rituals persist that date back

resenting nine species. All were caught under

centuries to the Ahom Kings of Assam.

In mid-February, a crisis call came from the

The Kings’ reverence of turtles led to their

Nagshankar Temple committee concerning

“donation” to temple ponds under the belief

the welfare of a few ailing and moribund

of their being auspicious. Because of this,

Black Softshells; this call proved to be fortu-

temple ponds now house an untold number

itous for the project team. Though a hercu-

of these shelled reptiles. Unarguably the

lean task, it was the only chance to conduct

Complementing these efforts for the temple

practice’s most iconic beneficiary is the

thorough health check-ups, provide triage,

pond’s inhabitants, and in continuing our

Black Softshell Turtle (Nilssonia nigricans),

provide direction to the temple, and assess

collaborative program to collect, incubate,

a species that was, until recently, considered

the actual numbers and turtle species present

and hatch Black Softshell Turtle eggs, this

22 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

the watchful eyes of veterinarians, and were provided thorough health examinations and any necessary treatment before being shifted to the adjacent auxiliary pond.

species’ native habitat of the Brahmaputra River basin, providing further hope for their wild existence. This momentous achievement marks the first official partnership in which a temple has allowed any conservation agency to rear and release “their” turtles for conservation. For this, we are forever grateful. So too are the turtles.

As anticipated, program staff and volunteers responded to, treated, rehabilitated, and released thousands of softshell turtles of various species confiscated from illegal trade last winter. PHOTO CREDIT: PRATAPGARH DIVISION/UPFD

year the temple committee allowed for the monitoring of 71 eggs at one of their indoor facilities—even amidst the pandemic lockdown. More importantly, however, in having worked closely with Nagshankar Temple authorities since 2013 for the upkeep and management of the temple ponds and their turtle residents we were rewarded with a major development in our relationship.

Taking a historic leap, in August we were granted permission to relocate 25 of this year’s hatchling Black Softshells from the temple premises to a recently upgraded, grow-out facility specially designed for their upkeep at our Nature Discovery Centre in Biswanath Ghat. These incredibly important hatchlings are now being reared under the utmost diligence and, once large enough to evade predation, will be released into the

Acknowledgments: We thank Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh Forest and Police Departments, Biswanath Wildlife Division, Sonitpur East Division, and Nagshankar Temple committee. We sincerely thank our partners Ocean Park Conservation Fund, Disney Conservation Fund, Mohammed Bin Zayed Conservation Fund, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Turtle Conservation Fund, The Habitat Trust, Wildlife Trust of India, and Wildlife Conservation Trust for their financial support of various projects. We thank Mr. Sunil Pandey, Mr. Ravi Kant Sinha, Mr Vinod Kumar Yadav, Mr MK Yadava, Mr. Alok Kumar, Mr. Sanjay Srivastava, Mr. Ramesh Pandey, Mr. P Sivakumar, Mr. Tapan Das, Mr. Manish Mittal, Mr. Neeraj Kumar, Mr. Deepak M., Mr. Prabhat Kumar, Mr. Rajnish Singh, Mr. Manish Singh, Mr. RK Tripathi, Mr. Suhas Kadam, Mr. Mukut Das, Mr. Diwakar Srivastava, Mr. Abu Arshad Khan, and Mr. Padma Hazarika. We thank Ms. Prakriti Srivastava and Mr. Venu Parameshwar from Wildlife Conservation Society-India for their support and guidance. We thank Mr. Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, Mr Sanjay Kumar, Mr. Ram Pratap Singh, Dr. Jayaditya Purakayastha for their outstanding support. We thank India program team members Ms. Sreeparna Dutta, Mr. Bhasker Dixit, Ms. Arpita Dutta, Mr. Gaurav Bardohiya, Ms. Kritia Ranjan, Ms. Rashmi Srivastava, Ms. Rishika Dubla, Mr. Pawan Pareek, Dr. Parimal Ray, Dr. Raghvendra Sharma, Mr. Lalit Budhani, Mr. Mukesh Mishra, Mr Suresh Pal Singh and Mr Santram for all their diligent and hard work.

Contact: Shailendra Singh, WCS/ TSA India Program, D1/317 Sector F, Jankipuram, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh India 226021 [shai@turtlesurvival.org]

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RANGE COUNTRY UPDATE

MADAGASCAR

Living through COVID-19 and Surviving a Fire: Another Year of Challenges for TSA Madagascar Rick Hudson, Herilala Randriamahazo, NyAina Tiana Rakotoarisoa, Riana Miatrika Rakotondrainy, Miandrisoa Tsimiondreke, and Christel Griffioen

TCC Lead Keeper Riana Rakotondriany and Keeper Avimasy collect measurements on a Radiated Tortoise as part of a comprehensive pre-release health screening process in February 2020; reintroduction plans were later postponed due to Covid-19. PHOTO CREDIT: MARIS BRENN-WHITE

Building strong community relations in

the community level, and in recent years

Similarly, when we were searching for a site

southern Madagascar to protect local

have directed resources and attention to

to build the Tortoise Conservation Center

tortoise populations has become an impor-

improving those relations. In 2012, the TSA

(TCC), four villages – known collectively

tant cornerstone of our program and cannot

built a primary school in the village of Ant-

as the Ala Mahavelo Association – agreed to

be overstated. We have long realized that

sakoamasy that became a regional model for

allow TSA to manage a 200 hectare parcel

the battle to save the Radiated Tortoise,

community benefits that could be realized

of secondary dry forest with the under-

Astrochelys radiata, will be won or lost at

by protecting tortoises.

standing that they would benefit from the

24 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

relationship. Today the TCC (12 hectares within Ala Mahavelo Forest) cares for over 9,000 tortoises and requires 4,000 - 6,000 kg of fresh vegetation per month, depending on the season. Ninety percent of this is purchased directly from residents of the four villages of Ala Mahavelo, benefitting the local economy. The TCC workforce is also comprised of local workers as keepers and security guards, building a win/win collaboration between TSA and the surrounding villagers. However, the diversity and quantities required in food deliveries were not as expected. Considering the TCC is one of the sole sources of income for the local populace, what could be holding them back?

Was it drought? To improve food delivery, we launched a special campaign in August to purchase a given list of tortoise food from the four villages, and opened the gates to our Community Outreach Center (COC) across from the TCC entrance. On the first purchasing day of the one-month event, 38 villagers arrived, carrying an enormous amount of spineless cactus pads (Opuntia) in oxcarts. Over the course of a week, we purchased 46,669 kg of tortoise food from 254 villagers (65% of them women), requiring five days to weigh and record the bounty. This far-exceeded any previous deliveries, leaving us puzzled as to what had changed, aside from the delivery site? As it turns out, most of the villagers were scared to enter the TCC because of the high barrier fence that was erected to protect tortoises.

At the COC, they enjoyed visiting the open facility and the convenience it offered.

Being able to interact freely with staff improved their understanding of the conservation activities going on behind the walls of the TCC, and taught us an important lesson as well: look for solutions beyond the obvious. We knew that the Tandroy (the local tribe) culture was complex, with many seemingly hard-to-comprehend taboos and superstitions, thus underscoring the need to employ Tandroy staff. Currently we have two Tandroy community outreach coordina-

Opening the Community Outreach Center at the TCC for tortoise food deliveries inspired the local communities to deliver over 46,000 kg of fresh vegetation in the first week. PHOTO CREDIT: RIANA RAKOTONDRIANY

The newly rebuilt operations center at the TCC that was destroyed by fire in October 2019. This building contains offices and the power and communications systems for the Center; the array of solar panels can be seen mounted on the roof. PHOTO CREDIT: RIANA RAKOTONDRIANY

tors based at the TCC, Rampanarivo Monja and Miandrisoa Tsimiondreke, who are responsible for helping us understand the nuances of the culture; they are also integral to the success of future tortoise reintroduction efforts. Suffice to say that for now – with help from ZooMed (see sidebar) - we have overcome our food shortage problem.

Supporters rally to rebuild TCC headquarters after fire In September 2019, a devastating fire ripped through the TCC operations center, destroying the two-story building that provided housing and offices for senior staff. Fortunately, no tortoises were harmed but the fire took out the TCC’s solar power array,

A PUBLICATION OF THE TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE • TURTLESURVIVAL.ORG 25

An oral swab is being collected from this young Radiated Tortoise as part of a disease-screening process to test for the presence of both Mycoplasma and herpes virus; subsequent lab results indicated all tortoises were negative for these pathogens. PHOTO CREDIT: MARIS BRENN-WHITE

knocking out communications and security systems, leaving the Center isolated and vulnerable. Our highest priority was to find secure accommodations on site for our staff, whom had lost most of their belongings.

With a huge outpouring of international support (see acknowledgements), we were able to begin rebuilding in January 2020, with the arrival of experienced masons from Madagascar’s capital Antananarivo (Tana).

While the top level was not salvageable and had to be demolished, we were able to repair the rooms on ground level to be used for storage and office space. The new, expanded solar power system now sits atop this building. Seizing opportunity from trag-

26 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

edy, we are also building new senior staff housing, complete with a communal kitchen and a 15m3 rainwater catchment basin, the 4th such cistern at the TCC. Construction was 85% complete in March when the pandemic struck, and had to be suspended as workers were directed to return to Tana.

With the lifting of some travel restrictions in September, workers returned to the TCC and progress is again underway.

the pandemic travel restrictions; ten of the

Tortoise confiscations down for second year

tination for tortoises collected for consump-

Six of the seven taxa of tortoises that are endemic to Madagascar were unfortunately victims of poaching in 2020. Bushmeat poaching camps seemed to increase during

thirteen confiscations took place in southern Madagascar, with the other three in the cities of Antananarivo, Fianarantsoa, and Mahajanga. More than 90% of the tortoises seized this year were adults. In July, 144 adult A. radiata were seized by the Gendarmes in collaboration with Madagascar National Parks in Beheloka on their way by dugout canoe to Toliara – a well-known destion. Two poachers were arrested, and the tortoises were transferred to TSA’s Lavavolo Tortoise Center (LTC) in Itampolo.

Law enforcement officers seemed to be

more efficient in finding hidden captive tortoise populations during the strict lockdown measures and two major cases were uncovered involving foreign landlords.

The first case was in the suburb of Antananarivo and included 132 A. radiata and eight Ploughshare Tortoises, A. yniphora, both apparently having been in captivity for many years. The second case was found by the law enforcement team of Regional Direction of Environment and Sustainable Development in Mahajanga. The latter case included four taxa of tortoises including A. radiata, Madagascar Hinge-back Tortoises, Kinixys zombensis domerguei, and two taxa of Spider Tortoises, Pyxis arachnoides.

Zoo Med food delivery When Gary Bagnell (Zoo Med President) heard we were experiencing periodic food shortages at our Tortoise Centers in Madagascar due to prolonged drought, he asked how he could help. Zoo Med sent a pallet of Grasslands tortoise chow, 1200 lbs. total, by boat. The first shipment left the U.S. in March, and arrived in Antananarivo in early June. A second pallet shipped in mid-September.

We now have a nutritious, balanced supplemental diet to use during times of food shortage. Providing adequate food for 24,000 tortoises – whether it be wild browse or cultivated vegetation – is a HUGE challenge. Reports from the Centers indicate Ploughshare Tortoises sprint to the feeding pan when it’s offered. It is comforting to know that we have partners like Zoo Med ready to help us.

In total 459 tortoises were confiscated, up from 350 in 2019, but a far cry from the devastating number – 18,000 – seized in 2018. One impact of the COVID-19 crisis seems to be a reduction in tortoise smuggling outside the country, whereas the internal black market continues.

Tortoise Reintroductions Delayed At the beginning of 2020, we were in fullscale planning mode for our first official rewilding of Radiated Tortoises. The schedule included a health-screening event at the TCC in February, to be followed by two “tortoise roundups,” first for the TCC in April and then at the LTC in September; both events were sold out. Brett Bartek – long-time Oklahoma City Zoo employee, now with an environmental consulting firm in Florida – had been cleared by his employer to spend ten weeks/ two trips in Madagascar, coordinating the releases, and training community members on tortoise monitoring techniques. Thanks to Walter Sedgwick (TSA Board) we secured a quadcopter drone and Brett was learning to fly it in Florida. Materials to build softrelease enclosures were being stockpiled, and an isolation enclosure for 1,000 soon-tobe-rewilded tortoises had been constructed at the TCC. And then the pandemic hit, and Madagascar enacted harsh travel restrictions.

The Zoo Med Natural Grasslands Tortoise Food has proven to be highly palatable to both Radiated and Ploughshare Tortoises, and is used to supplement their diet, providing essential nutrients that may be lacking. PHOTO CREDIT: NY AINA RAKOTOARISOA

Reintroduction plans came to a sudden and

begin the arduous process of evaluating the

unexpected halt.

health status of 1,000 tortoises in prepara-

If there is a ray of sunshine in this story, it is that in February 2020, an international

tion for the first large-scale reintroduction to the wild. The Saint Louis Zoo Institute for Conservation Medicine (SLZ ICM)

veterinary team traveled to Madagascar to

was represented by Dr. Maris Brenn-White

join TSA Madagascar’s staff at the TCC to

and veterinary technician Jane Merkel; the

A PUBLICATION OF THE TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE • TURTLESURVIVAL.ORG 27

Wildlife Conservation Society team was led

samples were analyzed using three different

single day the TSA made – at the time – the

first by Dr. Bonnie Raphael (retired), fol-

methodologies to statistically evaluate which

most impactful and far-reaching decisions in

lowed by Dr. Paul Calle, and vet tech Dalia

methods are recommended for field evalua-

our nine-year history, including hiring Herilala

Ferguson. Working together with Dr. Ny

tion of A. radiata. In addition to the tortoises

Randriamahazo as full-time coordinator for

Aina Rakotoarisoa (TSA), local vet student

at the TCC, all tortoises in quarantine and

Madagascar. From humble beginnings in

Tony Ralivaniaina and TCC staff, the team

at the facilities in Tana were examined and

2010, this program has grown into our largest,

weighed and performed physical exams on

swabbed to establish health status prior to re-

both fiscally and in terms of staff with 53;

over 1,000 tortoises and collected blood, oral,

locating them to the southern facilities. This

launched in response to rampant poaching of

and cloacal swabs on approximately 130 of

event represents a great example of multi-

Radiated Tortoises, which – if left unchecked

these. The swabs were returned to New York

organizational collaboration and provided

– would likely lead to the extinction of this

and analyzed via molecular techniques for

multiple opportunities to share techniques

iconic species in nature. The cornerstones of

common tortoise pathogens including Myco-

with our Malagasy counterparts.

this program are community engagement and

plasma, TINC, and Herpes virus; all samples have been negative to date. The TCC hospital

TSA Madagascar Turns 10

capacity building, enforcement and monitoring, and managing the huge number of confis-

was fully utilized by the visiting vet team and

In September 2020, TSA’s Madagascar Tor-

cated tortoises seized annually from the illegal

an extensive lab was set up with equipment

toise Conservation Program commemorated

trade. In 2018, that number surged to 18,000

from SLZ ICM, keeping the two techni-

their ten-year anniversary. I recall well our

tortoises, testing the mettle of our Malagasy

cians busy from dusk to dawn. The blood

August 2010 Board meeting, because on that

staff. Their response – and that of the seven

Zoo veterinary technicians Jane Merkel (St Louis Zoo, left) and Dahlia Ferguson (WCS, right) were kept busy performing laboratory tests as part of the health assessment process at the TCC. 1,000 tortoises have since been cleared for reintroduction. PHOTO CREDIT: MARIS BRENN-WHITE

28 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

teams of wildlife warriors that deployed to Madagascar to assist – was heroic and a defining moment for this program. But the reality of caring for ~24,000 tortoises is settling in and represents a significant monetary commitment for TSA. In 2020 we were preparing to move into the rewilding phase but reintroduction plans were postponed due to the pandemic. Sadly, in these times of COVID-19, we are struggling to keep this program afloat.

These are incredibly challenging times for TSA financially - Madagascar in particular because so much of our support comes from zoos and aquariums, many of which are fighting for survival.

TSA Madagascar Director Herilala Randriamahazo and Interregional Director of Environment and Sustainable Development Ihando Andrianjafy sort through a diverse assortment of endemic tortoises that were confiscated outside of Antananarivo. Four species were represented in this seizure. PHOTO CREDIT: HANTA RASOANAIVO

A Lifeline from the U.S. Government There is a saying that it’s always darkest before the dawn, and this story lends credence to that. Due to the impacts of COVID-19, TSA funding from our partner zoos and aquariums is down by over two-thirds, and TSA has been experiencing financial difficulty in managing the tortoise rescue centers that house and care for 24,000 confiscated tortoises and employ 53 devoted local staff. It goes without saying that TSA was desperately in need of a lifeline. Fortunately, we were able to secure a grant from USAID in the amount of $185,000 through the U.S. Department of Interior International Technical Assistance Program (DOI-ITAP).

Biodiversity conservation and combating wildlife trafficking are two priorities for USAID Madagascar, so it was a natural partnership to support the continued care and protection of these confiscated tortoises. This timely grant ensures that all TSA staff will remain employed through September 2021, and guarantees funds to continue managing our tortoise centers to provide rehabilitation and care for these tortoises while awaiting reintroduction to their natural habitat.

Acknowledgments: This work would not be possible without the generous support of many donors: Aktionsgemeinschaft

TSA Madagascar turns 10: Senior and administrative staff pose for a commemorative photograph in front of the new headquarters in Antananarivo. PHOTO CREDIT: HANTA RASOANAIVO

Artenschutz (AGA) e.V, Alison Archambault, Association of Zoos & Aquariums SAFE Program, Bill Dennler, British Chelonia Group, Cameron Park Zoo, Columbus Zoo, Cynthia Benoit, Dallas Zoo, Drayton Manor Park, Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo, Friends of the Alexandria Zoo, Honolulu Zoo, Jay & Jane Allen, Jason Watters, Robert & Denise Krause, Milwaukee County Zoo, Nature’s Own, Ed Neil, North Carolina Zoo, Owen Griffiths, Parken Zoo, Matt Patterson, Rot-

terdam Zoo, Seneca Park Zoo, St. Augustine Alligator Farm, Steinhart Aquarium, Tierpark Hellebrunn (Munich Zoo), Topeka Zoo, World of Birds/Natural Encounters Conservation Fund, Nicholas Young, US Department of Interior/International Technical Assistance Program, Utah’s Hogle Zoo, Zoo Atlanta, Zoo Knoxville, and Zoo Med. Contact: Rick Hudson [rhudson@turtlesurvival.org]

A PUBLICATION OF THE TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE • TURTLESURVIVAL.ORG 29

RANGE COUNTRY UPDATE

BELIZE

Rewilding the Hicatee Heather A. Barrett As I stand at the water’s edge, I dance around to avoid the angry bites of leaf cutter ants while trying to photograph the quick movement of small children. There are 12 of them and each gleefully reach for and are gingerly handed a tiny turtle before swinging around, kneeling, and releasing “their turtle” into the river.

The hatchling turtles move more slowly than the children. Once released, they hover, possibly shocked by the chain of events that brought them to this place—slowed by the many hours of being transferred from tub to tub and vehicle to vehicle before ultimately reaching this, their new home. The kids worry when their turtle doesn’t swim off immediately, and a few gently nudge them away from the river bank toward deeper water.

These turtles are called Hicatee in Belize, but the name Hicatee could apply to almost any turtle in any English-speaking place, making that name confusing when mentioned outside of Belize. Their common name is Central American River Turtle, and they are known to the scientific community as Dermatemys mawii, the critically endangered, lone surviving member of the ancient family of freshwater turtles, Dermatemydidae. A sad fact is that across their limited range, Hicatee are being overharvested for human consumption— nearly to extinction. In 2011, the organization I work for, Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education (BFREE), entered a partnership with the Turtle Survival Alliance to create the Hicatee Conservation and Research Center (HCRC). Here, we study the Hicatee and determine the viability of captive breeding as one piece of a larger plan to save the species from extinction.

Our first successful year of breeding in 2014 brought us a clutch of seven eggs, and the

30 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

BFREE Executive Director, Jacob Marlin, helps release a Hicatee hatchling with members from a small village in central Belize during August. PHOTO CREDIT: HEATHER BARRETT

HCRC Manager, Tom Pop, walks across the Bladen River carrying a tub of Hicatee hatchlings. These turtles embarked on a long journey from the BFREE Field Station to their various release sites. PHOTO CREDIT: JACOB MARLIN

following year another clutch with eight more. At that time, every day brought new information as we learned to care for and breed this species in captivity. In the years that followed, more turtles laid eggs, and more eggs hatched. We suffered our first die-off in 2017 when a combination of water quality, natural temperature shifts, and an incomplete diet weakened the immune systems of that year’s hatchlings. We lost half of the cohort before getting back on track. With every challenge, we learned; and with every year, our captive population grew.

In 2019, we found our facility suddenly, and completely, at capacity. With the help of zoo partners, we expanded by adding a rearing

pond, which was immediately filled by that year’s nearly 200 hatchlings. During meetings and conversations with our TSA advisors, partners, the Belize government, and others, our language shifted from, “Can we breed them?” to “How do we keep this many turtles?” to “What is our plan for release?”

A key part of the strategy to re-wild Hicatees was to research and determine suitable release sites that provided appropriate habitat and were safe from poachers. We needed help and, after years of search, found excellent partners in the Turtle Ecology Lab from Missouri State University. In 2019, and with the support of the Belize Government, Dr. Day Ligon, Denise Thompson,

Don McKnight, and Ethan Hollender joined forces with BFREE staff Jacob Marlin, Tom Pop, and Jaren Serano to conduct critical field work to begin determining the actual population status of the species in the wild.

In early 2020, Day and Denise established the Belize Turtle Ecology Lab (BTEL), and have worked closely with BFREE to conduct experiments designed to determine environmental effects on growth rate and condition of the 2020 cohort of 185 Hicatees. Turtles were randomly assigned to groups which were then released into 1) a closed aquatic system with no other Hicatee present; 2) a closed aquatic system where other Hicatee are present; 3) open aquatic system where other Hicatee are

A PUBLICATION OF THE TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE • TURTLESURVIVAL.ORG 31

Members of Team Hicatee at the community release site. Back row L to R: Heather Barrett, Denise Thompson, Day Ligon, Donald McKnight. Front row L to R: Jacob Marlin, Jonathan Dubon, Tom Pop. PHOTO CREDIT: COLLEEN JOSEPH

present; 4) the HCRC rearing pond; and 5) kept

wide radio address on the COVID-19

can still come together for the love of turtles, and

in indoor tanks at the BFREE lab. After eight

pandemic at the exact hour of our event. Still,

there is still hope for the Hicatee.

weeks, turtles are to be recaptured, weighed,

members from the community, including 12

measured, and data collected on a number of

children, came to see the turtles and learn

parameters to determine and compare overall

more about the research that was happening

health and condition between each group.

on their very own river to save the species.

One of the release sites was particularly

After a presentation, everyone was invited to

noteworthy and included an outreach activity.

weigh and measure a hatchling, to investigate

On the day of the release, Jacob Marlin, Tom

research equipment, and to become a “Hicatee

Pop, Jonathan Dubon, and I left BFREE with

Hero” by promising to follow Belize’s laws and

12 hatchlings in a tote. We met Day, Denise,

signing a banner. We then marched to the river’s

and Don and, together with staff from Belize

edge, where we stood on rain-soaked earth,

Fisheries, we set off for a small village in

knocking away biting ants as 12 masked children

central Belize. The day was rainy and the

released 12 tiny turtles. I’m sure I heard a collec-

Prime Minister was preparing for a country-

tive sigh. Even in these very troubling times, we

32 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

Acknowledgments: Research and conservation at the Hicatee Conservation and Research Center is supported by the Turtle Survival Alliance, Belize Fisheries Department, Zoo New England, Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo, Oklahoma City Zoo, South Carolina Aquarium, and Belize Wildlife and Referral Clinic.

Contact: Heather Barrett, Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education (BFREE), 2602 NW 6th Street, Suite D, Gainesville, FL 32609, [hbarrett@bfreebz.org]

Hicatee Research in a Pandemic Day B. Ligon

Travel restrictions fundamentally changed the focus of this year’s research efforts from conducting population assessments to the very different issue of Hicatee movement patterns. PHOTO CREDIT: DONALD MCKNIGHT

It is safe to say that 2020 didn’t play out the way anybody expected or planned for. The novel coronavirus that erupted into a global pandemic touched nearly every human life to varying degrees, from annoying inconvenience for some, to heartbreaking loss for too many others. In our case, COVID-19 derailed carefully planned research of the critically endangered Central American River Turtle (Dermatemys mawii), known throughout Belize as Hicatee. While the pandemic uprooted our initial plans and proved deeply frustrating on many fronts, we feel fortunate that our failed efforts

ultimately led to new and productive op-

of researchers, as few on our team had the

portunities.

latitude to leave jobs or family for a quarter

We started the year with a plan to assemble enough data from trapping to generate population estimates and characterize demographics in three populations of Hicatee.

Achieving our objectives, as we envisioned them, was going to require working duskto-dawn from Sunday to Sunday for three months straight. It became clear in the earliest stages of planning that our field-

of the year. Stephen Brown, Don McKnight, and Ethan Hollender arrived at the beginning of March and immediately set to work.

Denise Thompson and I arrived in midMarch with our two school-aged daughters, whom we had planned would accompany us for their spring break and then return home to resume classes a week later. That, it turns out, was a fantasy.

work was going to be a complex exercise in

We began with the most challenging of our

scheduling and would rely on a rolling cast

targeted systems: a medium-sized river of

A PUBLICATION OF THE TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE • TURTLESURVIVAL.ORG 33

which, due to its length, we could intensively survey only a short segment. Open populations like this one offer unique challenges, as animals freely move in and out from the survey area. For this reason, we deployed automated receivers at the terminal ends of our study area, and equipped 19 turtles with sonic transmitters to measure immigration and emigration rates. With transmitters deployed, what remained was executing an intensive capture-mark-recapture effort, an endeavor that we knew would require many nets, boats, and people working in the field for at least a month.

The Hicatee, perhaps unfamiliar with our careful scheduling, did not cooperate. Several days in, capture rates declined to abysmal levels, and recaptures of previously marked animals remained mysteriously elusive.

Suddenly, our planned month of continuous trapping seemed grossly inadequate. Our difficulties were further complicated by rapidly evolving travel restrictions as COVID-19 cases skyrocketed globally. To protect their citizens, the Government of Belize moved quickly to close its borders with Mexico and Guatemala, and closed the country’s only international airport indefinitely.

Mazuri Comes to the Nutritional Rescue An ongoing issue for our juvenile Central American River Turtles has been plastron concavity, likely related to improper bone growth. Dr. Shane Boylan (South Carolina Aquarium) recommended protein supplementation, and connected us with Mazuri Exotic Animal Nutrition. In August, six 25-pound bags of aquatic turtle diet arrived in Belize and we began offering the pellets to our 2019 and 2020 hatchlings. Although we can’t evaluate long-term impacts yet, we know that the juveniles love to eat it! We are grateful to the folks at Mazuri for making this donation, and are fortunate to have partners like them who help us tackle nutritional issues in developing countries where commercial turtle diets are unavailable.

the Hicatee carrying transmitters? And the re-

that dwarf the size of most protected areas,

ceivers that we had placed at intervals along

and that recaptures are rare because individu-

the river? Even in our absence, data contin-

als quickly learn to identify and avoid nets.

ued to accumulate that could provide at least coarse information about movement patterns.

Movement and space use patterns of Hicatee have critical conservation implications; if protected areas are designated to conserve wildlife, can they be equally effective whether Hicatee occupy small areas and stay

To avoid stranding in Belize, Stephen and Ethan returned to the U.S. weeks ahead of schedule. Don, who resides in Australia, was stranded when the borders there abruptly closed before he could arrange his return.

Finally, Denise and I made the difficult decision to keep our daughters in Belize rather than send them to the U.S. where the infection rate was increasing at an alarming rate.

within protected boundaries, or move large

One bright spot in the mounting list of difficulties was that our colleague Jaren Serano, who had recently started attending Jacksonville University, returned to Belize to complete his semester online. Once classes were over for the semester, he joined us to assist with fieldwork. Nonetheless, we were left with a skeleton crew—certainly insufficient to continue intensive surveys. But what of

our research efforts from conducting popula-

34 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

distances and spend a portion of their lives outside of reserves, in areas where hunting is legal? To address this, fine-scale movement

Now, six months after our arrival date, Don, Denise, and I are still in Belize without a departure date in sight. Remaining here has introduced opportunities that we surely would have otherwise missed. Looking forward, we cannot know how the pandemic will play out, but we are eager for the day when travel restrictions ease, we can reconnect with family, and friends and colleagues can join us in our efforts to conserve Hicatee.

data could be collected with our limited field crew, and our automated stations could keep logging points even when COVID-triggered curfews prevented us from being in the field.

So, we fundamentally changed the focus of tion assessments to the very different issue of Hicatee movement patterns. Much of the rest of the field season played out like a blooper reel as we navigated unreliable weather forecasts, ever-changing curfew rules, police checkpoints, and the usual pitfalls of fieldwork. However, we now have data demonstrating that Hicatee move huge distances

Acknowledgments: Research conducted by the Belize Turtle Ecology Lab is supported by Missouri State University, Turtle Survival Alliance, Belize Fisheries Department, PADI Foundation, Turtle Conservation Fund, Delta Foundation, and the Government of Belize. Special thanks to Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education (BFREE) for their support and encouragement of our work.

Contact: Day Ligon, Department of Biology, Missouri State University, 901 S. National Ave., Springfield, MO 65897, [DayLigon@MissouriState.edu]

RANGE COUNTRY UPDATE

CAMBODIA

Renewed Hope for Southern River Terrapin in Cambodia Phun Thorn, Sitha Som, Hul In, and Brian D. Horne

Government delegates, donor representatives, WCS staff, and community members release 20 headstarted terrapins into their “soft-release” enclosure along the Sre Ambel River in an effort to help them acclimate to the wild. PHOTO CREDIT: RATNA LEAK (WCS)

The tragedy of the sand mining of the last known nesting beach for the Southern River Terrapin (Batagur affinis) in 2018 was still fresh in our minds, when Mother Nature swept in with torrential flooding that quickly replaced the stolen beach. Much to our relief, in 2019 the only known nesting female returned and nested on the re-formed beach. Then this year, after 17 years of protecting nests and headstarting Southern River Terrapins, we achieved a major milestone in our conservation efforts, when three females nested on the beach.

Nest protection program Long Sman is a former egg collector of the

Southern River Terrapin. Since 2003, he has worked as a nest protector with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). His love for conserving this species is unmatched; he has found and protected 46 nests resulting in over 450 hatchlings. Sman is genuinely one of Cambodia’s most dedicated conservationists! For the last 17 years, he stands by the river before dawn until dusk during the nesting season, watching for the turtles to nest.

This year we had three nests of the Southern River Terrapin compared to only a single nest found for each of the past four years.

We believe this increase in the number of nests to be our first cohort of headstarted turtles returning to nest. Our years of work-

ing with, and educating the local communities along the river is finally paying off. As part of that effort, we distribute a circular detailing the project to all surrounding communities, updating them on the ongoing conservation project.

The team incubated all eggs in situ from late January until late April. Twenty-three hatchlings were produced from the 51 eggs with a 45% hatching success. We suspect the low hatching rate may be due to the first nesting of the young headstarted turtles. Sman is a very happy man as we have 23 hatchlings compared to just 4 hatchlings last year. We transported all the hatchlings to our head

A PUBLICATION OF THE TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE • TURTLESURVIVAL.ORG 35

Mountains to the lowlands below. It forms extensive areas of mangrove forest where its delta meets the sea along Cambodia’s southern coast. This interface between freshwater and seawater is where the Southern River Terrapin, or Royal Turtle, calls home. Our mission this year is to locate 20 terrapins that we released in early January. Its “royal” name is due to the local tradition of people bringing this turtle and its eggs as gifts to the royal family when they visited. However, on account of these offerings and a barrage of other human-induced factors, this species is now so rare that it is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN, and protected by royal decree.

Long Sman (middle), Nay Chea (left) and Phun Thorn (right) record biodata from a terrapin nest.

PHOTO CREDIT: SITHA SOM (WCS)

This year saw a record 23 terrapins hatch from their eggs. Following hatching, the young turtles are relocated to the Koh Kong Reptile Conservation Center for rearing. PHOTO CREDIT: PHUN THORN (WCS)

Southern Cambodia is renowned for its heavy rainfall, often raining continuously for days, sometimes more than a week.

Annual rainfall in the area is 4000 mm (157 inches, over 13 feet!). Therefore, in addition to the huge size of the river, the many channels, weather conditions play a significant role in our tracking efforts. A good quality raincoat is always the best choice to avoid being completely soaked. With me, I bring our equipment from Sonotronics (MANTRAK USR-14 receiver) to relocate the terrapins. This device and a hydrophone detect the acoustic transmitters that we attached to the turtles’ shells with epoxy. Whenever we detect a turtle, we record significant biodata such as habitat types, water PH, salinity, water depth, coordinates, and behavior. As of August 2020, we successfully relocated 16 of the turtles alive and well. But unfortunately, we found one turtle that had drowned in a fishing trap and another drowned due to swallowing a submerged fishing hook.

Although there are tremendous efforts in patrols and livelihood incentives to local communities, there are still many challenges facing this species’ survival.

starting center in Koh Kong Province to rear them until they are large enough to survive in the wild upon release.

a portion of each cohort that we release so we

Legal Protection

can assess their survival and movements. The

Coupled with our headstarting, we radiotrack

flowing from streams high in the Cardamom

Southern River Terrapin is one of the world’s 25 most endangered freshwater turtles and tortoises and has been designated as Cam-

36 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

Sre Ambel River system has many tributaries

A striking male Southern River Terrapin, or Royal Turtle, in breeding coloration at the Koh Kong Reptile Conservation Center. Following health assessments, this and other terrapins were released into the Sre Ambel River in an effort to help restore their wild population. PHOTO CREDIT: SITHA SOM (WCS)

bodia’s National Reptile by a Royal Decree issued in 2005. In 2009, the species was listed as Critically Endangered by SubDecree No. 123. Recently, the turtles were also given greater legal protection for their habitat. First, a Prakas (announcement) dated July 10, 2017 by the Ministry of Mines and Energy put a stop to all sand dredging in the Sre Ambel River System, preventing further habitat destruction. Secondly, Prakas No. 133 dated March 6, 2019 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries created the

Sre Ambel River System as Fisheries Man-

Turtle Survival Alliance, US Forest Service,

agement and Conservation Area for Royal

Rainforest Trust, USAID-Feed the Future,

Turtle and Siamese Crocodile (Crocodylus

Woodland Park Zoo, and private donors.

siamensis). Creating long-term protected

We give thanks to the Wildlife Conserva-

habitat for this species is a tremendous vic-

tion Society and the Fisheries Administra-

tory in the battle to recover this species.

tion of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Government of Cambodia for continuing this important effort.

Acknowledgments: We would like to

Contact: Sitha Som, Wildlife Conserva-

thank previous and current donors for

tion Society, Cambodia, #21, Street 21,

supporting this project, including Wildlife

Tonle Basac, Chamkarmorn, Phnom

Reserves Singapore, European Union,

Penh, Cambodia [ssom@wcs.org]

A PUBLICATION OF THE TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE • TURTLESURVIVAL.ORG 37

RANGE COUNTRY UPDATE

INDONESIA

Searching for a Ghost, the Southern River Terrapin Joko Guntoro

The Western Malay subspecies of Southern River Terrapin has not been documented in Sumatra in 30 years. PHOTO CREDIT: RICK HUDSON

Driving thousands of kilometers by day and night; boating down mangrove bordered rivers to remote locations; meeting and getting to know new people; becoming accustomed to various dialects—these are all elements we will encounter on our expedition across southern Sumatra in search of one of its ghosts: the Southern River Terrapin (Batagur affinis). Once common along the country’s east coast, extensive collection for human consumption, exacerbated by habitat alteration and destruction, have all but snuffed out this

38 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

critically endangered species in Sumatra. But, we are on a mission. The turtle must still be out there somewhere lurking amongst muddy waters and mangrove swamps. If it is, we have confidence we will find it.

On January 10th, Yusriono, Alma Tiara, and I set off on our southbound journey armed with survey reports of decades past, anecdotal accounts, a list of key informants, financial support, and hope. Although it sounds like an arsenal befit for an exploratory quest, information on the existence of

the Southern River Terrapin in Sumatra is very limited, the last documented occurrence being 30 years ago. On account of scant knowledge, and a vast and intricate coastline to survey, we decide that a little over a month of intensive interviews and ground-truthing will be needed to elucidate any evidence of the species’ existence.

Upon our arrival in Riau Province we visit 6 villages along the Indragiri River where sandy river banks once saw untold numbers of female terrapins emerge from the water to

deposit their eggs. Now, brownish white sand plays silent witness to the irresponsibility of man as he harvested hundreds to thousands of turtle eggs per night during nesting seasons of a bygone era. Sulaiman and Yunus, informants on our list, now in their 60’s, were once some of these egg collectors. They recant how they could harvest hundreds of eggs each season. They were players in the terrapin’s spiral toward extirpation here.

Gaining no new evidence of the terrapin’s inhabitation of the Indragiri we move on to the Way Sekampung River in Lampung Province.

Here we find a similar situation to that along the Indragiri, but for the turtles, its human predators were less discriminate. At a time when turtle populations were still relatively high, especially from the 1960s to 1990s, we are told that villagers hunted all kinds of big turtles. Our informants tell us that the use of turtle shells as chicken feeding stations was prevalent due to a widespread (and obviously erroneous) belief that they prevented epilepsy in the chickens. At the time, various large aquatic species of both the fish and turtle sort could be easily found.

Now, all of them are gone. The informants suspect that land use change for agriculture, river pollution, and hunting are the primary causes.

We are once again faced with the sad fact that the terrapin is gone here as well and move on.

Traveling a half-hour upriver from the mouth of the Pasir River, South Sumatra, we arrive in the village of Sungai Pasir. The people we meet have knowledge of large turtles inhabiting the area, however, when shown pictures of Malaysian Giant Turtle (Orlitia borneensis) and Southern River Terrapin they find it difficult to distinguish between the two. They are both large, greyish species but, because the local people do not consume turtle eggs, they can’t tell which species it is for sure.

This gives us hope.

As we elicit more information from the villagers our hopes rapidly diminish when we are told the turtles they encounter live in the surrounding peat swamps, not tidal mangrove

forests. This is a crushing blow as the terrapin

These sighting may prove crucial to develop-

is an inhabitant of tidally influenced rivers and

ing future conservation programs in these

their estuaries. We conclude that turtle com-

areas for the turtles’ survival.

monly found in Sungai Pasir is the Malaysian Giant Turtle, a critically endangered species of high conservation concern, but not the one we

Returning to our homebase in Aceh Tamiang where we have worked on recovery efforts

are painstakingly searching for.

for Painted Terrapins for more than ten

It’s now February 15th and with no evidence

patrol for eggs, as well as provide outreach

of Southern River Terrapins we turn our sights northward. Our expedition to find the ghost of Sumatra’s mangrove swamps has come to a conclusion. However, as conservation biologists we are optimists by nature, and hope that somewhere out there an elusive few turtles persist. Their recovery depends on it.

years, I find that our team’s seasonal effort to are running smoothly. Hundreds of terrapin eggs are incubating and will soon be hatching, adding to the more than 3,000 young terrapins that we have released into the wild to date. All hope is not lost for the turtles of Sumatra. In fact, hope is what we have.

Driving North, as turtle lovers we find solace that our expedition has not been in vain, as our

Acknowledgments: We give thanks

surveying found Malaysian Giant Turtle (Or-

to the Farallon Islands Foundation for

litia borneensis), Southeast Asian Box Turtle (Cuora amboinensis), Asiatic Softshell Turtle (Amyda cartilaginea), Asian Brown Tortoise (Manouria emys), and Black Marsh Turtle (Siebenrockiella crassicollis), all of which are of conservation concern. Informant testimony

their funding of Southern River Terrapin surveys, to BKSDA Province of Riau, South Sumatera, and Lampung for providing permits and staff support, and to the Turtle Survival Alliance, Houston Zoo, BKSDA Aceh, District Government of Aceh Tamiang, and PT Pertamina for

also provided key information on purported

their support of our terrapin conserva-

sightings of two critically endangered species,

tion efforts.

the Asian Giant Softshell Turtle (Pelochelys

Contact: Joko Guntoro, Satucita Foun-

cantorii) in the Indragiri River, and Painted Terrapin (Batagur borneoensis) in estuaries of the Indragiri and Way Sekampung rivers.

dation, Dusun Mawar, Desa Bukit Rata, Kejuruan Muda, Aceh Tamiang, Indonesia, 24477 [jokoguntoro@gmail.com]

The team conducts interviews and reviews photos of the local turtle inhabitants in Sungai Pasir, South Sumatera. PHOTO CREDIT: YUSRIONO

A PUBLICATION OF THE TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE • TURTLESURVIVAL.ORG 39

RANGE COUNTRY UPDATE

MYANMAR

Turtle Conservation in the Time of COVID: The Fight to Save Myanmar’s Turtles Continues in the Midst of a Global Pandemic Steven G. Platt and Kalyar Platt

Captive-bred Burmese Star Tortoises are ceremoniously liberated into their “soft-release” enclosure at Shwesettaw Wildlife Sanctuary. PHOTO CREDIT: ZIN MIN TUN

With baited breath I slowly and very care-

inhabiting this section of the upper Chindwin

With somber hesitation, I reach for the second

fully excavate the egg clutch buried within

River, far removed from others of her kind.

the sandbank. Lifting the first large, oblong,

Since her discovery more than ten years ago,

egg. But, as it’s lifted from its sandy enclave, a

greyish-white egg, we see no diagnostic signs

she has yet to produce fertile eggs. Although

of viability, immediately quashing our hopes

egg deposition is a regular occurrence, each

for the remainder of the clutch. You see, these

year’s lack of viability is a constant reminder

eggs are those of a lone surviving female

to us of just how precarious this species

the clutch; 14 of the 20 eggs yield living, and

Burmese Roofed Turtle (Batagur trivittata)

teeters on the brink of extinction in the wild.

genetically irreplaceable, hatchlings.

40 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

large, white tell-tale patch where the embryo has attached itself is visible on the eggshell— this egg is fertile! And so, it proves for most of

The Burmese Roofed Turtle is a large, herbivorous, aquatic turtle endemic to the major rivers of Myanmar. Once common, these turtles were inexorably driven to the brink of extinction by many years (perhaps hundreds) of over-harvesting eggs and adults for food. By the late 1990s, the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group assumed the Burmese Roofed Turtle was almost certainly extinct. Fortunately, this assumption proved incorrect and in 2001, small remnant populations were “rediscovered” in the Dokhtawady and Chindwin Rivers. Importantly, under the guidance of Dr. Gerald Kuchling, an assurance colony was quickly established at the Yadanabon Zoological Garden in Mandalay using a handful of turtles confiscated by government authorities from fishermen, and translocated from pagoda ponds.

Complimenting these efforts, we implemented sandbank protection, egg collections, and headstarting along the Chindwin River. As part of this project, villagers are hired as “Beach Wardens” to monitor sandbanks used by nesting females, eggs are collected and incubated, and hatchlings then reared to a size suitable for return to the wild, i.e., headstarting. These efforts came none too soon for without them, the Burmese Roofed Turtle would almost certainly now be extinct. As things stand, the status of the Burmese Roofed Turtle in the wild remains precarious: The Dokhtawady population was driven to extinction after a hydropower reservoir inundated the only known nesting site. In the Chindwin, genetic research indicates that less than ten adults survive.

On the plus side of the equation, captive breeding has proven immensely successful, allaying early fears that a turtle adapted to large rivers would be unable to reproduce in small ponds. The captive population has grown steadily over the years and now stands at more than 1,100 animals—spread out among five zoos and captive manage-

One of the 14 genetically irreplaceable hatchling Burmese Roofed Turtles produced by a solitary wild female hatches into the world. PHOTO CREDIT: MYO MIN WIN

ment facilities throughout Myanmar— thereby insuring that biological extinction is an increasingly remote possibility.

However, the ultimate goal of any captive breeding program is not to simply stockpile animals in captivity, but to reintroduce those animals to the wild in hopes of restoring ecologically functional populations.

With this in mind, we carried out reintroductions of head started turtles in 2015 and again in 2018—148 total—albeit with inconclusive results. As with any longlived species, successful conservation of the Burmese Roofed Turtle must be viewed in the long-term, measured not in months or even years, but in tens of years.

The past year has witnessed several notable achievements in our efforts to ensure the future of the Burmese Roofed Turtle. For

starters, the 2019-20 breeding season heralded another banner year for captive propagation with 172 hatchlings emerging from artificial sandbanks at the Yadanabon Zoo. Camera traps placed on the sandbank captured literally thousands (28,714 to be precise) images of nesting female Roofed Turtles, giving new insights into the behavior of this poorly known species. Egg laying began in late December, was completed by mid-March, and eggs incubated until late May when hatchlings began emerging at the onset of the annual wet season. Unseen by keepers, hatchlings exit the nest after nightfall and are funneled by a drift fence ringing the sandbank into an array of pitfall traps which zoo staff check each morning. The hatchlings are then reared in fiberglass tanks for about one year before being transferred to larger concrete ponds where growth is surprisingly rapid.

A PUBLICATION OF THE TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE • TURTLESURVIVAL.ORG 41

Local villagers release headstarted Burmese Roofed Turtles into an acclimation pen along the upper Chindwin River. PHOTO CREDIT: STEVEN PLATT

Not wishing to keep “all of our eggs in a

sandbank for additional signs of nesting

Meanwhile, the 2019-20 nesting season on

single basket” so to speak, in April of 2019,

activity. Our plan was to ring the island with

the Chindwin River proved a mixed bag of

we transferred 50 large turtles – age 12-15

a drift fence and funnel the hatchlings into

elation and crushing disappointment. First

years old - originating from eggs hatched

pitfall traps as they made their way to water.

the good news. For many years, a solitary

at the Yadanabon Zoo or collected from

However, COVID-19 arrived in Myanmar

female has nested on a sandbank far up the

along the Chindwin River, to an expansive

a few weeks later forcing us to temporarily

river from our basecamp and isolated from

new pond at the Yangon Zoo, complete with a spacious sandbank. Although the age at which Burmese Roofed Turtles begin to reproduce is unknown, we were surprised when in mid-February, zoo staff called to inform us that eggs had been found scattered on the sandbank!

disengage with the zoo. Unable to construct the drift fence as planned, the hatchlings emerged and disappeared into the pond, no doubt safe but frustratingly uncounted.

Significantly, this event possibly marked the first instance of captive reproduction by young Burmese Roofed Turtles that

the few remaining others of her kind. Each year we recover and incubate these eggs in a secure area adjacent to our basecamp, but always the clutch proves to be infertile.

Recognizing the extremely high genetic value of this lone female, in late 2018 we released 20 head started young males in the stretch of river where the female dwells in

Apparently, a female, inadvertently startled

had themselves been hatched in captivity.

by a night watchman while nesting, fled

This nesting event also tells us that Roofed

into the pond without taking the time to

Turtles are capable of reproducing at a much

bury her eggs. The staff picked up where

earlier age than we ever supposed, boding

the female left off, buried the eggs in the

well for the recovery of this critically en-

This year we again collected her clutch only

morning, and began closely monitoring the

dangered species.

hours after the eggs were laid and trans-

42 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

hopes that a successful mating would occur.

But alas, no fertile eggs were forthcoming in the 2018-19 season.

only three nests during the 2019-20 season, compared to 4-5 nests in previous years, and even more alarming, none of the 46 eggs we excavated proved to be fertile. The reasons for this precipitous decline in fertility remain a mystery; however, we suspect the one or more surviving male Roofed Turtles met an untimely demise. A similar situation arose in the 2014-15, when only a single fertile egg was produced over the course of two nesting seasons. A group of head started turtles (males and females) were released in 2015, and shortly thereafter levels of egg viability slowly returned to normal over a period of about three years. Hoping to repeat this success, we constructed a floating acclimation pen in the Chindwin River and in late March, only days before the emerging pandemic forced our hasty retreat to Yangon, stocked it with 40 head started turtles (20 males and 20 females). These turtles will remain in the floating pen until late October and then be liberated into the river.

Burmese Star Tortoise

A male Burmese Roofed Turtle in breeding coloration. PHOTO CREDIT: LONNIE MCCASKILL

ported them to our basecamp for incubation.

worldwide news, being covered by numer-

Because at least 24 hours must pass before

ous media outlets including The New York

we can confidently determine if the eggs

Times, Mongabay, Vice, and The Guardian.

are fertile, we waited several days before

With high hopes, these hatchling’s “fame”

uncovering the clutch for inspection. The 14

will bring more global attention to the plight

genetically irreplaceable hatchlings depicted above are now being reared at our basecamp in Limpha. These will ultimately will be incorporated into our captive breeding pro-

of the so-dubbed “turtle with the permanent smile.”

The remainder of the wild population of

gram to weave their genes into the collec-

Burmese Roofed Turtles inhabits a stretch

tive DNA of the world’s surviving Burmese

of the Chindwin River up- and downstream

Roofed Turtles. The historic hatching

of our basecamp in Limpha Village, and

success of this solitary female’s eggs made

here the picture was less rosy. We found

For the Burmese Star Tortoise (Geochelone platynota), reintroductions continued apace at Shwesettaw Wildlife Sanctuary (SSWS) this year, with the release of 110 head started tortoises in late January. Radio transmitters were attached to 20 tortoises in this group and each individual is relocated every month.

As expected, tortoises move little during the intense heat of the annual dry season (October-May), and really only begin to stir when wet season rains usher forth succulent young grasses, a favored browse of the tortoises.

On the other hand, no tortoises have been released at Minzontaung Wildlife Sanctuary (MWS) since 2018, simply because the small sanctuary is now well-stocked and reintroduced tortoises are reproducing.

Because ill-gotten Burmese Star Tortoises continue to command high prices in the illegal wildlife trade, poaching of reintroduced tortoises and theft from the assurance

A PUBLICATION OF THE TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE • TURTLESURVIVAL.ORG 43

colonies remains a constant concern. In what amounted to a major setback for our efforts—and in the face of tight security— thieves managed to purloin over 150 tortoises from the assurance colony and a pre-release acclimation pen in two separate raids at SSWS. These twin debacles lead to increased security measures, ramped up anti-poaching patrols, and other deterrence tactics at both wildlife sanctuaries. Several stolen Burmese Star Tortoises later turned up when authorities raided the compound of a wildlife trader in Vietnam, high-lighting the international scope of illegal wildlife trafficking.

In addition to the reintroduction of head started tortoises, in 2018 we began an experimental program of translocating eggs from the assurance colonies to the wild. To

briefly summarize, eggs are excavated from nests in the assurance colonies and reburied at scattered sites in the sanctuaries, where incubation then takes place under natural conditions. Upon hatching, the young tortoises are free to wander off into the forest.

While hatchling mortality is undoubtedly high, young tortoises are subjected to the forces of natural selection from the moment they exit the nest, in marked contrast to their sybaritic relatives who spend 4-5 years in captivity before being released. Ultimately we believe this approach will produce individuals better suited for life in the wild.

As far as we know, this approach has not been attempted with tortoises anywhere in the world; however, the thousands of eggs produced in the assurance colonies provide

us with a unique opportunity to explore egg translocation as a tool for the restoration of tortoise populations. So far, over 1,200 eggs have been translocated, about 50% of which hatched, comparable to those in the assurance colonies. Even more promising, our radio telemetry teams occasionally encounter unmarked juvenile tortoises, indicating that some hatchlings are surviving in the wild.

Continuing Conservation for other Focal Species The past year also saw successes with other, yet important, focal species of our program.

The assurance colony of Asian Black Giant Tortoises (Manouria emys phayrei) at the Turtle Rescue Center (TRC) produced another large crop of 64 hatchlings. Our suc-

Burmese Star Tortoise reintroduction and radio telemetry efforts continued this year despite the ongoing pandemic. PHOTO CREDIT: ME ME SOE

44 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

Nearly 600 Burmese Star Tortoises have hatched from eggs translocated from our captive assurance colonies to artificial nests in the wild. PHOTO CREDIT: ME ME SOE

Burmese Big-headed Turtle (Platysternon megacephalum peguense) assurance colony was completed in December 2019; shortly thereafter 100 turtles, previously held in makeshift quarters were transferred into specially designed individual pens in the new facility. At the same time plans are underway to repatriate the remaining turtles—obtained during confiscations in 2016 and 2017—to the a protected area in southern Myanmar. Unfortunately, the COVID pandemic has forced us to temporarily suspend our plan, although we anticipate moving forward in early 2021 when teams should be able to return to the field. Be on the lookout for a focal article of this new facility and reintroduction program in the 2021 edition of Turtle Survival.

Turtle conservation in a developing, economically destitute country such as Myanmar is challenging and beset with difficulties even in the best of times, but during a global pandemic these challenges become daunting. Nonetheless, even as the pandemic burns through Myanmar, the TSA/WCS Turtle Team remains steadfastly committed to our primary mission of safeguarding Myanmar’s diverse turtle fauna, and even in the face of difficulties stemming from the current global health crisis, our team continues to score notable victories.

Asian Giant Tortoise hatchling production has improved greatly since adopting the “McCaskill Chamber” incubation method. PHOTO CREDIT: NAY WIN KYAW

cess with the species comes on the heels of last year’s bumper crop of hatchlings, which followed years of lackluster performance in which many eggs were laid but very few hatched. We attribute our change in fortune to a switch in incubation techniques. Rather than using electric incubators, we adopted “McCaskill Chambers,” a low-tech method pioneered by Lonnie McCaskill (WCS Prospect Park Zoo/TSA Board Member) that rely on nothing more sophisticated than a Styrofoam fruit box; eggs are simply laid in

neat rows on a shallow bed of sand, covered with a layer of moistened leaves or grass, and the box is sealed and placed in an open shed. Incubation takes place at ambient air temperatures with no need to worry about the power outages that plagued us when using electric incubators. The hatchlings produced at the TRC are now being head started in anticipation of future reintroductions into appropriate habitat within a protected area.

Lastly, a facility to permanently house our

Acknowledgments: For their steadfast and generous support of the TSA/WCS Myanmar Turtle Conservation Program, we wish to recognize the following donors: Andrew Sabin and the Sabin Family Foundation, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, Paul and Linda Gould, Holohil Systems, Ltd., National Geographic Society, Panaphil Foundation, Paul Goulet and Little Rays Reptiles, Wildlife Reserves Singapore (Singapore Zoo), Mohammed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, and Wildlife Conservation Society.

Contact: Steven G. Platt and Kalyar Platt, Turtle Survival Alliance and Wildlife Conservation Society, No. 100 Yadanar Myaing Street, Kamayut Township, Yangon, Union of Myanmar [sgplatt@ gmail.com; kalyar-platt@gmail.com]

A PUBLICATION OF THE TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE • TURTLESURVIVAL.ORG 45

RANGE COUNTRY UPDATE

COLOMBIA

Protected Reserves to Community Engagement: Colombia Program Becoming a Model for Protecting Endangered Turtles Igor Valencia and Germán Forero-Medina

As part of the habitat restoration effort for the La Carranchina Natural Reserve, the first ever protected area for a turtle species in Colombia, over 6,000 native sapling trees were planted this year. PHOTO CREDIT: GUSTAVO GARCIA

La Carranchina Natural Reserve Following an intensive three year process of searching for land suitable for a dry-forest reserve for the endemic Dahl’s Toad-headed

for this species in Colombia finally became

successfully acquired, and we quickly found

a reality. Located in San Benito Abad,

ourselves with plenty of work to do to make

Sucre, the reserve is a 120 hectares (297

this project a successful one.

acres) property, with secondary vegetation corresponding to what was once tropical dry

In January 2020, we hired Donnys Man-

Turtle (Mesoclemmys dahli), and after

forests. In December of 2019, the official

chego, a ranger from the local community,

lengthy negotiations, the first protected area

documents were signed, the property was

who will be responsible for daily patrols in

46 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

plan, as fires are frequent during a certain

systems for food security and commercial

time of the year, and can affect vegetation

purposes. We propose to utilize one hectare

and turtle habitat. Finally, we evaluated

of land for agroforestry which will help

two potential productive alternatives that

recover degraded soil, compatible with the

could be developed according to the agro-

conservation goals of the Reserve. Addition-

environmental conditions of the property:

ally, this habitat provides good conditions

agro-forestry, and apiculture. The Reserve

for apiculture and honey production.

Members of Flechas Sabanas, the closest community to the new reserve, take pride in the conservation of Colombia’s endemic, and critically endangered, Dahl’s Toad-headed Turtle. PHOTO CREDIT:

996100

995800

995500

995200

9°0'20"N

994900 9°0'10"N

994600 9°0'0"N

994300 8°59'50"N

994000 8°59'40"N

8°59'30"N

LA CARRANCHINA RESERVE

479500

479500

75°11'10"W

75°11'10"W

479800

9°0'30"N

479800

9°0'40"N

75°11'0"W

GUSTAVO GARCIA

Escale: 1:3000 0

0.0425

0.085

0.17

0.255 Km

1 centimeter = 30 meters Production date: July 2020

479200

75°11'20"W 75°11'30"W

Reserve boundary

478900

75°11'40"W

479200 75°11'30"W

478900

75°11'40"W

478600

Legend

478600

75°11'20"W

This map was produced solely for use by WCS and its associates.

TOTAL OR PARTIAL REPRODUCTION IS FORBIDDEN

Information sources

75°11'50"W

478300

75°11'50"W

478300

- Reserve image Images taken on 2020-02-19 Images provided by Wade Sedgwick Images procesed by Carlos A. Rios-Franco

Cartographic parameters Coordinate System: WGS 1984 UTM Zone 18N Projection: Transverse Mercator Datum: WGS 1984 False Easting: 500,000.0000 False Northing: 0.0000 Central Meridian: -75.0000 Scale Factor: 0.9996 Latitude Of Origin: 0.0000 Units: Meter

Edited by: CARLOS ANDRÉS RÍOS FRANCO Spatial analys coordinator, WCS Colombia www.wcscolombia.org

Location in Colombia

75°12'0"W 9°0'40"N

996100

9°0'30"N

995800

9°0'20"N

995500

9°0'10"N

995200

9°0'0"N

994900

8°59'50"N

994600

8°59'40"N

994300

478000

Upon identifying potential threats to the Reserve, such as man-made fires from nearby properties, we began construction of firebreaks along the perimeter of the PA. Regular maintenance of these firebreaks will

has soils suitable to establish productive

75°12'0"W

For this land to become part of Colombia’s Protected Area (PA) Network, it must be formally registered as a Private Natural Reserve. In March 2020 a team consisting of a botanist, an ornithologist, and a restoration specialist visited the PA to gather information on the flora and fauna present, as well as perform an assessment of the land cover types, the state of the forests, and the potential for restoration. With that information submitted, we expect this land to become part of the PA network very soon. Their study provided the basis for the restoration program in the reserve, and guided the selection of particular plant species, sites, procedures, required actions for the soil, and other such plans.

This will be a long-term restoration program to recover native vegetation and improve the turtles’ habitat. We also used drones to develop a high resolution land cover map, and establish which zones in the PA will be designated for restoration, wetland expansion, conservation, research, and sustainable productive activities. Based on this planning, we started the restoration activities this year by planting over 6,000 saplings! All are native species, and comprise part of the native habitat of Dahl’s Toad-headed Turtle.

be an important activity in our management

478000

the Reserve. We developed a data model using SMART (spatial monitoring and reporting tool) that will be implemented for the patrolling reports. This tool will enable us to gather daily information about surveillance activities and generate annual indicators of the effectiveness of fire-prevention activities, as well as other pressures such as hunting. The tool will also be used to gather information about other species within the Reserve, particularly Red-footed Tortoises (Chelonoidis carbonaria), another threatened species we hope will benefit from increased protection within the Reserve.

8°59'30"N

994000

The reserve for Dahl’s Toad-headed Turtle, delineated in red, will continue to undergo intensive restoration efforts to maximize wetland capacity and re-establish its tropical dry forest habitat.

A PUBLICATION OF THE TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE • TURTLESURVIVAL.ORG 47

The recovery effort for the Giant South American River Turtle, a component of the Wildlife Project (Proyecto Vida Silvestre), is a model example of conservation organizations working with local communities. In just six years, the program has protected thousands of nesting females and their nests, and witnessed the hatching of nearly a quarter million turtles. PHOTO CREDIT: JAVIER SILVA

Giant South American River Turtle

rapid and ongoing decline, leading to its Criti-

project. As the project continues to consoli-

program

cally Endangered ranking.

date, we have seen tremendous progress in

The Giant South American River Turtle

The project is based on the middle Meta

(Podocnemis expansa) is one of the priority

River which supports some of the last and

species for the Colombia program, and this

most important nesting areas known for

year we continued working towards its protec-

Giant South American River Turtles in the

tion without interruption, despite the difficult

Orinoco region of Colombia. Here turtles

situation imposed by the pandemic. While

still gather in large groups to bask during

large numbers of nesting female river turtles

the reproductive season which extends from

Each year, prior to the reproductive season,

continue to congregate along well-established

January to April. During the last six years,

the community gathers to renew and reinstate

sand banks on rivers in Brazil and other loca-

the community of La Virgen protected the

agreements for protection of beaches, and

tions in the South American Amazon, these

most important beaches and developed com-

selects the team that will actively participate

represent a tiny fraction of historic numbers.

munity agreements to reduce harvesting of

in surveillance, sleeping on the beaches and

Chronic exploitation for meat and eggs and

eggs and adults. This year, the community

monitoring the nests. Over 30 people have

damming of rivers contribute to the species’

of Nueva Antioquia (Vichada), joined the

contributed to monitoring nesting beaches,

48 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

terms of: a) protection of nesting females and nests, b) involvement of the local community, c) environmental education, d) alternative economic activities / conservation incentives, and e) developing a sustainable egg harvest model for this locality.

Table Number of nests and percentage of extraction in protected and non-protected beaches of the middle Meta River from 2015 to 2020.

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Number of nests

1018

831

1670

379

2498

263

Proportion of harvested eggs in protected beaches

.3%

.9%

0.000

18%

1.5%

.4%

Proportion of harvested eggs in non-protected beaches.

48.5%

0.000

81.5%

45.5%

34.6%

42.3

although all 30 families in the community are involved in various ways. The number of nesting females protected each year since 2015 varies depending on multiple factors, and is considered a good index of the size and trend of the population.

Over 2,000 female river turtles are protected every year, and the proportion of eggs harvested from protected beaches has been significantly lower than extraction rates on non-protected beaches, demonstrating the impact of community protection on nest survival (see Table).

The project also leads an environmental education program, working with teachers in four public schools along the Meta River to develop curriculum that includes the importance of protecting the turtle, its riverine habitat, and biodiversity in general. This compliments other activities such as the traditional Festival of the Turtle, which could not be conducted this year because of travel restrictions. Hopefully, the festival will return next year, gathering and inspiring communities of the region about turtle conservation and the spectacular biodiversity of the Orinoco region.

As we continue working with the Community of La Virgen, we are ever mindful of developing ways to diversify economic opportunities for the people. This year we

Team members Javier Cordero, Camila Duran, Mauricio Correa, Igor Valencia, Germán Forero, and Juan Moyeton stand on the beach of the Meta River. PHOTO CREDIT: JAVIER SILVA

livelihoods, and enhance the community’s

ment can play in sustainable conservation.

willingness to protect the turtle as well as the

It is our fervent hope that this program will

nesting beaches that sustain the species.

ensure that future generations in Colombia

Finally, next year we will begin implementation of a pilot project for sustainable

will be able to witness the spectacle of mass aggregations of this iconic species.

harvest of river turtle eggs. This project will involve massive data collection, development of a quantitative model to assess sustainable harvest, and holding extensive discussions with environmental authorities

started a food security program with 12 fami-

and the community. In particular we wish to

lies, assisting them in planting productive

acknowledge Fondation Segré for their gen-

orchards with native species of the region.

erous support in expanding this program.

These efforts contribute to the economic

We believe this project will become a model

development of the community, improve

for the role that active community engage-

Acknowledgments: Fundación Santo Domingo, Rainforest Trust, Fondation Segre, Ecopetrol S.A., Fundación Omacha, Trillion Trees, Tim Gregory, and Wildlife Conservation Society Contact: Germán Forero-Medina and Igor Valencia, Turtle Survival Alliance, Wildlife Conservation Society, Cali, Colombia [gforero@wcs.org; ivalencia@wcs.org]

A PUBLICATION OF THE TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE • TURTLESURVIVAL.ORG 49

RANGE COUNTRY UPDATE

NORTH AMERICAN FRESHWATER TURTLE RESEARCH GROUP

Out of Water, In the Books Eric Munscher This was supposed to be a year of firsts for the Turtle Survival Alliance – North American Freshwater Turtle Research Group. Alas, as with everyone in the world, the global health crisis greatly affected how we operate. Being a volunteer based research program we could not, in good faith, conduct our annual samples.

Large numbers of people are required for our surveys, and two of the pandemic’s hardest hit states, Florida and Texas, contain the majority of our study sites. In effect, all field research for 2020 was cancelled. This included the start of a long-term freshwater turtle monitoring program in Belize. Furthermore, this was the first time in 21 years that we were unable to conduct our long-term survey of Wekiwa Springs State Park, Florida.

Though our field work for 2020 was cancelled the year was not unproductive. A major facet of conservation research is publishing the results of that research. With field work on hold we have been able to reallocate our time to writing, publishing four manuscripts in 2020, and the continuation of four other papers either in press or in draft format. These cumulative eight papers disseminate research on a plethora of species including those of cooters (Pseudemys), musk (Sternotherus), sliders (Trachemys), and Common (Chelydra) and Alligator (Macrochelys) snapping turtles. Links to these papers can be found on the North America project page on the TSA website.

As a program, we continue looking for new places and projects to increase our scope of freshwater turtle research. This year, we incorporated a fledgling project in the “home of the blues,” Memphis, Tennessee. Here, freshwater habitats are abundant and diverse, as are its 13 turtle species. However, the distribution, community composition, and conservation status

50 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

Our Alligator Snapping Turtle study in Houston, Texas was one of the only efforts that was able to resume in 2020. PHOTO CREDIT: ERIC MUNSCHER

of the chelonian residents is poorly understood.

That’s where Bluff City Turtles comes in.

Bluff City Turtles, led by Ben Grizzle, is a community-oriented project aimed at both understanding the area’s turtle populations, and increasing public awareness and appreciation of them. According to Grizzle, joining forces with the TSA gives the project access to resources, partnerships, and connections that would otherwise be unavailable. His hope is for Bluff City Turtles to become a true force for turtle conservation in the South and inspire a new generation of naturalists for the cause.

Our sights are now set on 2021 when we can hopefully continue collecting important data on

the turtle residents of our study sites. Maybe, we’ll go to Belize too. Only time will tell.

Acknowledgments: For their project support in 2020 we thank Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida State Parks, Hess Corporation, Kings Landing, Memorial Park Conservancy, National Parks Service, Orange County Parks and Recreation (Kelly Park), SWCA Environmental Consultants, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Contact: Eric Munscher, SWCA Environmental Consultants, 10245 West Little York, Houston, Texas, USA [emunscher@swca.com]

FEATURE

Thinking Outside The Box To Bring Them All Home: Developing Genomic Resources to Facilitate the Rewilding of Confiscated Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises JJ Apodaca and Cristina Jones

The Gulf Coast Box Turtle is one of 11 recognized species and subspecies of North American box turtle whose genetics are being cataloged by this rangewide sampling effort. PHOTO CREDIT: MIKE JONES / AMERICAN TURTLE OBSERVATORY

If you are reading this magazine, chances are

of breeding individuals, which in turn can

tional pet trade, leading to a boom in illegal

you have probably done your share of reckless

lower the number of offspring and genetic

harvest and export. Luckily, there has also

driving maneuvers in the name of saving a

diversity of a population, and lead to an omi-

been a rapid increase in efforts to combat

turtle crossing the road. We certainly have.

nous downward spiral known as the extinction

these activities. In the last few years alone,

The danger of saving turtles from a busy high-

vortex, which has claimed more populations

there have been several large-scale confisca-

way is not inconsequential, which raises the question as to why so many of us do it without hesitation. The obvious answer is that we love turtles and are willing to risk quite a bit to save

of box turtles than any of us want to admit.

tions totaling close to 10,000 box turtles in

If collectively we are willing to risk so

busts are major victories in the fight against

much to save one turtle crossing a road,

the United States and Mexico. While these poaching, the net result is still the same for

them. Our motivation lies in the belief that a

how willing would we be to risk saving

turtle belongs in its native habitat and in the

thousands of turtles? This is the question we

and one step closer to local extinctions. Our

understanding that native turtle populations

are starting to face as a turtle conservation

goal is to get turtles back to the wild after

are in trouble. The loss of individuals from

community. In recent years box turtles have

confiscation, metaphorically moving them

populations can drastically lower the number

become increasingly popular in the interna-

off the road and back into proper habitat.

wild populations—the loss of individuals,

A PUBLICATION OF THE TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE • TURTLESURVIVAL.ORG 51

Yet, for nearly all confiscated turtles we lack

ral selection. The resulting pattern and the

the most basic information necessary to get

legacy of natural selection has given us at

them back into the wild; which is of course,

least 11 recognized species and subspecies,

where they came from.

and scores of other evolutionarily significant

How do you know where a confiscated turtle originated from? And why do we care? Well, this last question is easier to answer. North American box turtles (Genus Terrapene) can be found from New England to the Yuca-

lineages. To make things more complicated, in some cases, releasing animals with sub-optimal adaptations can actually harm the other populations by flooding them with sub-optimal genetics for that region, often referred

tán Peninsula. This means that they face

to as outbreeding depression. All of this is

conditions from harsh Nebraska winters to

to say that genetics matter—and as much as

tropical heat, from a temperate rainforest in

we would love to be the Johnny Appleseed

the southern Appalachians to the semi-desert

of box turtles, we would be doing more harm

grasslands of Arizona. Over millennia, box

than good with that approach. Thus, it is

turtles have adapted to these diverse habitats

necessary to identify roughly where these in-

through the unforgiving process of natu-

dividuals came from for repatriation efforts.

Luckily for us, and box turtles, we are living in the age of genomics. Fifteen years ago the Human Genome Project had just been completed, which finally cataloged and mapped all of the genetic information contained in our DNA. That project took a mere 13 years and cost a miniscule 3 billion dollars. Today, we could get you that same amount of information for around $1,000.

While we aren’t quite to that level for turtles, we can still get a lot of genetic data for any species much faster and cheaper than any of us thought possible 20 years ago.

This is significant because we can take advantage of this revolution to identify where confiscated turtles came from by building a spatial genetic database. All of those evolutionary patterns mentioned above can be utilized to solve the very problem it creates. It’s like every box turtle (or any turtle) out there has its home address written into their DNA; we just have to build the map to figure out where that is.

Of course, building that database or map is still a time consuming, costly, and complex task, but we have taken the first steps. Within the next 1-2 years we will have spatial genetic databases up and running for box turtles, alligator snapping turtles, and others. Our first major re-release is scheduled for early spring 2021, demonstrating how eager fish and wildlife agencies are to have such a tool. These databases will be the culmination of many partnerships and passions. It has been amazing how many people continue to come forth to either collect genetic samples or to provide those that they already had. It brings us hope that as a conservation community, we can get this turtle to the other side of the road.

In recent years, confiscations of illegal shipments of North American box turtles, like these Florida Box Turtles, have increased, putting stress on non-profit, zoological, university, and federal and state agency resources. PHOTO CREDIT: FWC

52 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

Contact: JJ Apodaca, Tangled Bank Conservation, 128 Bingham Rd. Ste 1150, Asheville, NC 28806 [JJ@tbconservation. org]; Cristina Jones, Arizona Game and Fish Department, 5000 West Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086 [cajones@azgfd.gov]

North American Box Turtle Complex: Terrapene

Eastern Box Turtle T. carolina carolina

Three-toed Box Turtle T. carolina triunguis

Desert Box Turtle T. ornata luteola

Ornate Box Turtle T. ornata ornata

Northern Spotted Box Turtle T. nelsoni klauberi

Florida Box Turtle T. carolina bauri

Southern Spotted Box Turtle T. nelsoni nelsoni

Gulf Coast Box Turtle T. carolina major

Coahuilan Box Turtle T. coahuila

Mexican Box Turtle T. carolina mexicana

Yucatán Box Turtle T. carolina yucatana

Photos courtesy of John Iverson, Mike Jones/ATO, Chris Leone, Mark Lotterhand, Sal Scibetta, and Robert Villa. Graphic by Jordan Gray.

A PUBLICATION OF THE TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE • TURTLESURVIVAL.ORG 53

FEATURE

Baby Steps for Southern Bog Turtles Mike Knoerr and JJ Apodaca

A gravid female Bog Turtle from North Carolina. PHOTO CREDIT: MIKE KNOERR (CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE)

“That’s it! That’s where the ‘90s turtle records came from,” I point out to my colleague JJ as we drive by a dry cattle pasture framed on all sides by North Carolina mountains. A GPS point, a drainage ditch, and a few patches of characteristic wetland vegetation are the only signs that the land was different not that long ago. If you were to dig into the soil profile, you would likely hit a 2-ft. layer of hydric soil, evidence that the site was home to a Southern Appalachian Mountain Bog for over 10,000 years.

Although we continue to drive by several more examples of this transformed and wounded ecology, JJ and I remain upbeat.

54 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

We’re not here to mourn today; we’re here to get work done in the several remaining wetlands in this watershed. As we continue toward our first destination, my mind wanders to a very special critter: the iconic Bog Turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii).

Simply put, Bog Turtles are in real trouble in the southern portion of their range (Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia). Dozens of populations and the bogs they inhabit have disappeared. Most remaining sites have fewer turtles than they used to, and many are down to a handful of individuals. Juveniles have not been seen in decades in many of the extant populations.

High adult mortality and limited recruitment appear to be driving these declines. Although ‘relict’ individuals may linger for decades in isolated wetlands, robust and stable populations are almost non-existent. A myriad of site and landscape-scale factors are linked to these declines. Some of the large-scale impediments to Bog Turtle recovery are beyond our ability to address. Thankfully, there are MANY things that can be done to improve Bog Turtle populations. This is what motivates us.

How do we do effective conservation for a semi-aquatic gypsy turtle that has a propensity to wander a transformed landscape? We

find lots of friends who share our convictions. We find resources to do the work. We develop a strategy. And we begin.

to this one. Each project is one small step

We are employing triage conservation for

towards more Bog Turtles on the landscape.

southern Bog Turtles. We are trying to stop

Our first task for the day is to visit a Bog Turtle site of unknown status and to meet with the landowners Sue and Bill. Several sweaty survey hours later we’ve got a pretty good idea of what the bog looks like and what the immediate threats are (the site is mostly grown over in shrubs and invasive plants, and a few old drainage tiles have reduced the area of inundation by >50%).

Although we didn’t see any turtles or tracks, there’s a fair chance that the site is still occupied. There is some decent habitat left and the site is situated between two nearby populations. Ten years ago, there were few options to restore a site like this. Thankfully, newly available federal programs have presented opportunities. Now willing landowners can get technical and financial support from the NRCS and USFWS to improve wetlands on their property for Bog Turtles and other rare species. We outline these programs to Sue and Bill, and promise to walk them through the application, contracting, and restoration process. We currently have several exciting restoration projects in development similar

tions to check on hatching turtles. Our nest

We then head to a few well-studied populamonitoring work has documented extensive nest predation in these aging and declining turtle populations. Both human subsidized mesopredators (skunks, raccoons, and opossums) and small mammals (shrews, mink, etc.) depredated these nests in years past. We have subsequently improved and expanded nesting habitat at these sites. Gravid females have successfully nested in these new areas.

Predator excluder cages and electric fences around nesting areas offer additional solutions in our fight to boost recruitment and grow populations. Using these techniques, we have dramatically increased hatch rates by 70% in just three years at three sites.

With the help of multiple partners, we have protected and released over 160 hatchlings across seven sites over the same amount of time. More hatchlings are slicing their way out of eggs as I write this. We know that some of the hatchlings from past years are surviving as we continue to find them in the

the bleeding, and make modest improvements where we can. If we want to insure a future for these animals, we need to be strategic in our approach and we need to scale up. This year we applied for one of the largest funding sources available to do basic research, and are in the process of applying for significant habitat management funds to help farmers restore their wetlands. With these resources, we can begin to fill critical data-gaps (distribution, status, etc.) and apply site and landscape-scale conservation solutions.

Our long-term vision is to stabilize and grow Bog Turtle populations, and to reconnect isolated wetlands critical for persistence of the species. With this in mind, on our way home we pass by that same ditched cattle pasture with the historic turtle record.

I stop at the mailbox and leave a letter with my card describing the programs and funding mechanisms available to improve their land and water for wildlife. It all starts with a conversation. I’m optimistic they’ll be willing to have one.

wetlands, a most welcome observation.

Acknowledgments: This work is in collaboration with the following partners: United States Fish & Wildlife Service, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy, The Nature Conservancy, Project Bog Turtle, Turtle Survival Alliance Bern Tryon Southern Bog Turtle Fund, Turtle Conservation Fund, Global Wildlife Conservation, Turtle Conservancy, Defenders of Wildlife, Clemson University, Virginia Tech, Tangled Bank Conservation, and Zoo Knoxville.

Hatching Bog Turtles in a protected North Carolina nest. PHOTO CREDIT: MIKE KNOERR (CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE)

Contact: Mike Knoerr, Conservation Management Institute at Virginia Tech, 1900 Kraft Dr SW # 250, Blacksburg, VA 24060 [mknoerr@vt.edu]; JJ Apodaca, Tangled Bank Conservation, 128 Bingham Rd, Asheville, NC 28806 [jj@tbconservation.org]

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FEATURE

Whirlwind Adventure in India: PLANES, PROTESTS, TAXIS, AND TURTLES Daniel Gaillard

A red-orange head stripe morph of the Southeast Asian Box Turtle in the Assam State Zoo and Botanical Gardens. This morph is only found in northeast India, Bhutan, and Nepal. PHOTO CREDIT: SHAILENDRA SINGH

Over the past couple of years while I’ve been

burning tires and calling out my name. This

WCS staff and a delicious homemade meal,

hunting for genetic samples, I’ve found myself

unfamiliar face turns out to be that of Mr. Ari-

we settle in for some much-needed rest. I’ll

in many localities throughout Asia, and one

jiti Ghosh who is accompanied by Ms. Aditi

thing is always guaranteed, traffic. This year,

Patil from the Wildlife Conservation Society

need it as, after all, I am here on a whirlwind

I find myself sitting in a taxi on the side of

(WCS). I hop onto Mr. Ghosh’s scooter and

a blocked road (due to protests of a newly

we ride back to WCS’s field office where I

passed law) somewhere in Guwahati, Assam,

meet up with my companion for the next 8

India. After sitting for about 15 minutes, an

days, Dr. Parimal Ray from the TSA India

unfamiliar face appears through the smoke of

Program. After some introductions with the

56 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

trip to collect genetic samples and sequence the two native morphs of the Southeast Asian Box Turtle (Cuora amboinensis lineata) for our phylogenetic/phylogeographic project.

The following morning, as protests inten-

sify, we are “smuggled” in a government vehicle to the local airport to fly to Imphal to pick up samples from the Manipur Zoological Gardens. At the airport, we are finally able to meet with my good friend Dr. Shailendra Singh (last night he was stuck in a hotel due to road closures). During our multiple flight delays, we are able to discuss projects and possible study abroad courses to India, which makes the long wait a more pleasurable experience.

The approach to Imphal leads us over the fantasy-like Loktak Lake, which is filled with circular floating grassy islands. After settling in at the hotel, Parimal and I take a rickshaw to the Manipur Zoological Gardens where we meet with keeper Mr. Durgacharan Krmkar, who helps us take samples and is our guide through the zoo. I am relieved to finally be at the site to take samples, as protests in Guwahati made it uncertain if we would be able to leave the city.

Within a rather large enclosure we see over 60 Southeast Asian Box Turtles (yellow stripe morph), eight Elongated Tortoises (In-

dotestudo elongata), two Keeled Box Turtles (Cuora mouhotii), a dozen or so Oldham’s Leaf Turtles (Cyclemys oldhamii), and in the neighboring enclosure, eight Burmese Black Giant Tortoises (Manouria emys phayrei).

After taking samples for half an hour or so, I look up to see a group of kids curiously peering into the enclosure to get a closer look at the zoo’s newest addition…ME! Okay, maybe it wasn’t me drawing the curious looks, but more of what we are doing: grabbing turtles and swabbing their mouths with Q-tips! Either way, the kids are having a good time pointing and laughing in our direction.

Before heading back to Guwahati, we make one more stop to visit with Shri D.J.N. Anand, IFS, PCCF (wildlife), Manipur Forest Department, and Smt. Gaithaolu Thaimei, IFS, Manipur Zoological Garden, to thank them for their help and discuss possible future projects in Manipur. The following chilly morning, with samples in hand, we ride in a motorized rickshaw to the airport. My shivering and fetal positioned body is a constant reminder that bringing only shorts on this trip was a mistake.

However, the security guards and staff at the airport find it very amusing, so at least my poor decision brightened someone’s day.

Returning to Guwahati, we find out that Arya Vidyapeeth College is closed due to the protest. This college is where I am to extract and sequence the genetic samples collected in Imphal, along with two samples previously collected from the species’ red-stripe morph

by Parimal. First reports suggest the college will remain closed for the duration of my stay which is very disappointing. However, Drs. Madhurima Das and Jayaditya Purkayastha tell me to remain hopeful as they feel the school will re-open, and if not, they can help finish the molecular work. For the next two days, I am able to see some of the markets, enjoy the local food and go to the local zoo. At the zoo, I am able to see some Assam Roofed Turtles (Pangshura sylhetensis) and one red-stripe morph of the Southeast Asian Box Turtle in the outdoor enclosure (bucket list complete!).

After two days of touring Guwahati, we get news that the college is re-opening, and we immediately begin our molecular work there. To complete the lab portion of the trip, Dr. Das, Parimal, and I need to work about 22 hours in 2 days, all the while fueling ourselves with a variety of delicious food.

With the molecular work complete just in the nick of time, it’s time for me to depart this whirlwind adventure in India, all in the name of taxonomy. As I board the plane back home, thoughts of all the wonderful people I met, the food, and the scenery brings a smile to my face. I sit down and immediately begin plotting my return trip to Bharat.

Acknowledgments: I would like to thank Pat Koval and Tim Gregory for their support and encouragement for this project.

Box turtles rest in the shade at the Manipur Zoological Gardens in Imphal. Manipur state is home to the yellow head stripe morph of this subspecies of Southeast Asian Box Turtle. PHOTO CREDIT: DANIEL GALLIARD

Contact: Daniel Gaillard, Dalton State College, 650 College Drive, Dalton, GA. USA 30720 [dgaillard@daltonstate.edu]

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BEHLER AWARD

Jim Juvik, 2020 Behler Turtle Conservation Award Honoree A. Ross Kiester This year’s prestigious 15th Annual Behler Turtle Conservation Award, generally considered the “Nobel Prize” for turtle conservation and biology, honors Professor James O. Juvik from Hawaii, USA, who has dedicated his career to studying turtles and tortoises around the world, and working to prevent their extinction.

Jim Juvik was born and raised in Sacramento, California, at a time when it was wonderful to grow up being interested in nature in general, and amphibians and reptiles in particular. Like many children in the 1950s, he was given a pet Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans), complete with a bowl and a plastic palm tree. Jim took this turtle to heart and, from a very early age, became committed to turtles and tortoises.

After graduating high school, Jim spent the summer working for a tiny circus for which he was paid with a live Galapagos Tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra). He enrolled in a local college where he pursued gymnastics, but transferred to the University of California at Davis, majoring in geography. He then went to Harvard University to study under E.E. Williams, one of the world’s top turtle and tortoise taxonomists. However, he soon transferred to the University of Hawaii where he received a Ph.D. in geography, with a focus on biogeography and climatology. Following his graduate studies, Jim stayed on at the university, becoming a Professor of Geography, where he worked for 42 years.

In academia, because geography is broadly defined, its practitioners pretty much do whatever they want. Jim took maximum advantage of this lack of definition to

58 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

Jim with a Geometric Tortoise at the Turtle Conservancy’s Preserve in South Africa.

work on an incredible variety of topics: fog interception and its measurement by a gauge he designed and is now widely used, cloud forest ecosystems, biogeography of birds, Fijian iguanas, plant colonization on lava flows, land use planning, and ecology of the islands of Micronesia. He took some time off to be the designer and Director of the Panaewa Rainforest Zoo and Botanical Garden in Hilo, and with his wife, Professor Sonia Juvik, he wrote an important paper on Mauna Kea and the Myth of Multiple Use, a trenchant critique of a then common conservation paradigm for land use.

But through all of this work, one thing never changed: his interest in turtles, and especially tortoises. In 1970, encouraged by Ronald Beltz, he traveled to Tanzania and Madagascar where, working with the French herpetologist Charles Blanc, he rediscovered the natural population of Ploughshare Tortoises (Astrochelys yniphora) on Cap Sada. With Blanc, Jonah Andriananarivo, and Roger Bour, he wrote the first IUCN Recovery Plan for this tortoise in 1982. He also visited South Africa in 1971, for the first of many times, to search for its many tortoises. Back in Hawaii, he and Sean McKeown of the Honolulu Zoo described the extraordinary nest building and guarding by the Asian Giant Tortoise (Manouria emys), a major advance in tortoise biology. In 1992, he returned to Madagascar with Ross Kiester to help Gerald Durrell’s efforts to protect and enhance the population of Ploughshare Tortoises. In 1996, at the invitation of Le Dien Duc, he and Kiester went to Vietnam, where they saw first-hand that virtually all species of turtles and tortoises there were in danger of extinction due to their over-collection and export to China. In 1997, they presented a paper at a U.S. herp meeting on the dire situation in Asia. As a result, George Rabb, Director of the Brookfield Zoo, asked them to hold a workshop later that year on what is now known as the “Asian Turtle Crisis.”

Appropriately for this Behler Award, John

Jim with a caiman in Costa Rica at an Organization for Tropical Studies course.

Jim with a sign offering to buy any turtles and other reptiles in Vietnam.

Behler himself attended that meeting and then issued a broad warning to the turtle community which, in 2001 at the Fort Worth Zoo, also led to the creation of an IUCN Task Force that eventually became the Turtle Survival Alliance. In 2006, Juvik and Kiester went to Namibia to begin a longterm study of the Nama Padloper (Chersobius solus), that lives in hyper-arid southern Namibia, and is perhaps the only tortoise that is, as Jim likes to say, an “ambush herbivore” (meaning that it only comes out to feed after rain or fog events, when ephemeral plants have sprouted). Jim has now spent much time there, and has supervised the first Namibian herpetologists to obtain Master’s degrees. More recently, Jim has spearheaded the Turtle Conservancy’s effort to protect the Geometric Tortoise in South Africa. This work has led to the purchase and protection

of nearly 1,000 acres of Fynbos habitat, home to the tortoise’s last known substantial population of approximately 800 animals.

Jim is the embodiment of the Hawaiian spiritual concept of Aloha: people who really enjoy bringing joy to others. His openness, friendly demeanor, and genuine interest in peoples and cultures, combined with his lifelong experience of multicultural Hawaii, make him a wonderful ambassador for turtles. Always appearing at gatherings bearing Hawaiian macadamia nuts and other gifts, our colleague Peter Paul van Dijk calls Jim the “tropical Santa Claus” – an apt description of his generosity, collegiality, and seemingly magical abilities. Turtles and tortoises the world over owe him their grateful thanks, as do all of us in the turtle conservation community.

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PRITCHARD TRIBUTE

Remembering Peter C.H. Pritchard: A Turtle Man for the Ages Rick Hudson On February 25, 2020 we said farewell to Dr. Peter CH Pritchard, arguably the world’s most famous turtle biologist. Peter departed this world far too early, and his passing leaves an indescribable void in our ranks.

He was a once-in-a-lifetime personality, an icon in our community, a hero for the ages.

I first met the great man in 1981 at my first International Herpetological Symposium meeting at the Oklahoma City Zoo, where he delivered the keynote address. What struck me then, and continued to impress me throughout our friendship, was his accessibility. Considering his “rockstar” status in the herpetological community, he was always approachable. He took time to be in the moment with whomever he was engaged, rarely seemed rushed or harried, was courteous to a fault, always had a story to tell; but most importantly, made you feel like a valued colleague. Peter instilled the sense of community that our world desperately needs today.

It is impossible to summarize Peter’s impressive volume of contributions to our understanding and appreciation of the natural history, conservation, and cultural significance of turtles. His passion for turtles, and everything related – the people, places, art, artifacts, literature – was contagious and he traveled widely in pursuit of them. He was incredibly versatile – as much at home sorting through old Rafetus bones with an aged peasant farmer in Vietnam as lecturing in the hallowed halls of academia. Most significantly, he popularized the importance and diversity of turtles, achieved exquisitely through the Chelonian Research Institute (CRI). Through the CRI, one was fully and blissfully immersed in all things chelonian, encouraged to ponder, undistracted, the rele-

60 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

vance of turtles in today’s world. For many, a CRI visit was a cathartic experience.

I spoke with Peter’s wife Sibille recently and we discussed his pervasive presence, and now absence of it. Peter had a commanding presence: when he was in the room, you felt it; when he was absent, you felt that too. He was an imposing man, a figurative giant in both stature and intellect.

Peter participated in the Fort Worth work-

shop that led to the formation of TSA in 2001 and always valued the TSA because of the forum we provided for bringing the turtle community together. He could easily be spotted at these events as he towered above his constant entourage of colleagues, students, well-wishers, admirers, and worshipers.

Peter will forever be remembered for being catalytic in sparking an interest, and deepening our knowledge, of turtles.

PRITCHARD AWARD

Pritchard Turtle Conservation Lifetime Achievement Awards 2020: John Cann and Linda Cayot Anders G.J. Rhodin and Rick Hudson

JOHN CANN

LINDA CAYOT

With the tragic passing of our beloved and honored colleague Peter Pritchard earlier this year, the Behler Award Committee is now honoring his unparalleled legacy by renaming our previous Turtle Conservation Appreciation Awards as the new Pritchard Turtle Conservation Lifetime Achievement Awards. The prestigious Behler Turtle Conservation Award (in its 15th year) will also continue to be awarded annually. Pritchard Awards will be presented annually to notably worthy living individuals in special recognition of their lifetime achievements and impact on turtle conservation or biology. Individuals previously honored for their lifetime achievements are: Hugh Quinn (2006), Bern Tryon (2010), Peter Pritchard and Ian Swingland (2016), Justin Congdon (2017), Bruce Weissgold (2018), and Kristin Berry and Olga Castaño-Mora (2019).

uralistic settings to produce the stunning images that are his hallmark.

The two first recipients of the renamed Pritchard Award are John Cann and Linda Cayot, and we honor them for their important lifetime contributions to conservation, natural history, and taxonomy.

goats. Later she worked at Galapagos Conservancy in the USA and

John Cann has written five books relating to Australian turtles, including two editions of Australian Freshwater Turtles, and has described several new taxa. His books provide a broad synthesis of natural history and taxonomy and are beautifully illustrated—behind them lie many years and miles traveled to study turtles in the field, usually camping and diving in their habitats, and many hours photographing them in nat-

John was also a gifted athlete, representing Australia in the Decathlon at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, and was recently presented with an Order of Australia for his services to conservation, the environment, and the community. We celebrate his important accomplishments and thank him for his lifetime of dedication to turtle conservation, taxonomy, and natural history.

Linda Cayot has worked on Galapagos tortoise conservation for 40 years, first as herpetologist at the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galápagos, Ecuador, where she supervised the giant tortoise breeding and repatriation program. She also worked with Galapagos National Park on their management plan, initiating the successful project to rid northern Isabela and other islands of destructive feral helped launch the Giant Tortoise Restoration Initiative, a collaborative effort with Galapagos National Park that has the goal of restoring all Galapagos tortoise populations. She retired earlier this year, but continues to be active, co-editing a forthcoming major volume on Galapagos Giant Tortoise conservation. We honor her momentous contributions to conservation efforts in the Galapagos and the major difference she has made for the survival of the iconic giant tortoises there.

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TSA PARTNER NEWS

Promoting Protection for Pancake Tortoises: Turtle Conservation Fund (TCF) Hugh R. Quinn, Anders G.J. Rhodin, and Russell A. Mittermeier The Pancake Tortoises (Malacochersus tornieri) of East Africa are wonderfully unique in appearance, with their flattened and soft expandable shells that enable them to wedge into narrow rock crevices for protection. Rocky outcrops containing suitable crevices are scattered across the savannahs of Kenya, Tanzania, and very northern Zambia. With an abundance of edible vegetation surrounding their habitats, these tortoises should theoretically lead a secure existence. However, their appeal as pets has rendered them over-collected, with many populations decimated by poachers. This, compounded with destruction of the habitat critical to their survival, has caused serious population declines. Habitat destruction includes land development for agriculture, charcoal production, and rock extraction for both local and industrial purposes; additionally, poachers frequently destroy rock crevices to extract hiding tortoises. As a result, populations of Pancake Tortoises have decreased dramatically over the years and the species was assessed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN, and uplisted to CITES Appendix I in 2019. Clearly, we need to promote protection and focused conservation action to save this charismatic species from extinction in the wild.

To this end, from 2006 through 2019 TCF has provided about $22,500 in support of 6 projects on Pancake Tortoises conducted by 8 conservationists, including 4 native Kenyans and Tanzanians. Collectively, these projects have focused on the status and biology of the tortoises, as well as on educational and ecotourism activities in communities that surround key populations. Educational programming provides a

Reginald Mwaya, one of several dedicated TCF grantees working on Pancake Tortoises, here with a juvenile in Tanzania. PHOTO BY RUSSELL MITTERMEIER.

these tortoises, thereby not promoting them for

pursuing protection for Pancake Tortoises will

ecotourism. Instead, as a monotypic genus and

lead to stabilization of their populations and

a very appealing animal, the Pancake Tortoise

eventual recovery.

should prove an important species for the growing pastime of Turtle-Watching and Turtle LifeListing. So far, TCF-supported projects have included: 1) population genetics to investigate phylogeography, 2) population status surveys to estimate persistence, location, and size, 3)

better understanding of threats, and ecotourism

reproductive ecology, and 4) an assessment of

creates a potential economic benefit to have

efforts to curtail live trade. All these initiatives

tortoise populations persist. Unfortunately, most

are essential in forming effective conservation

local safari guides do not seem to be aware of

programs and it is our hope that promoting and

62 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

From 2002 through 2020, TCF has funded 296 of 833 submitted proposals, for total disbursements of about $1.26 million.

Average awards were $4,276, with projects conducted in 59 nations.

Contact: Contact: Hugh R. Quinn, Turtle Conservation Fund [DoubleHQ@aol. com]; Anders G.J. Rhodin, Chelonian Research Foundation [rhodincrf@aol.com]

BREWERY PARTNERSHIPS

Drink Beer. Save Turtles®.

David Hedrick This WAS going to be a massive year for Drink Beer. Save Turtles.® events across the country. We were gearing up to easily eclipse 40 events bringing together people, turtles, and brews. Like our partners in the zoological and brewery worlds, we had to scale down plans and create new opportunities.

The last pre-COVID DBST event at Flagship Brewery, hosted by the Staten Island Zoo Chapter of the American Association of Zookeepers (AAZK), was a resounding success. Then in March, the week we were to start a year-long series of events beginning with the Tennessee Aquarium and Naked River Brewery in Chattanooga, NAKED RIVER BREWERY – CHATTANOOGA, TN Tennessee, the world shut down. Naked River carried on, canning and distributing “Cosmic Turtle,” and a portion of its proceeds continue to go to turtle conservation through the Tennessee Aquarium and the Turtle Survival Alliance.

By April, much of the world had shifted physical gatherings to digital media. Following suit, we hosted a DBST Virtual Happy Hour for colleagues in the zoo community after the annual AZA Herpetology Taxon Advisory Group meetings in Chicago were cancelled. We saw old friends and discussed the harsh impact of COVID-19 on zoos and conservation—over a beer of course.

We continued offering DBST merchandise for purchase online, and added in-person sales at Sigler’s Craft Beer in Chattanooga, TN. Proven successful, we will be expanding the number of in-person locations where DBST merchandise can be purchased to raise conservation funds and introduce the TSA to new people.

In July, Reptile Gardens hosted the first COVID-era Drink Beer.

Save Turtles.® event at Hay Camp Brewing in Rapid City, South Dakota. Their specialty turtle brew “Slow Motion Potion” is still bringing great reviews. August brought about our participation in the virtual version of the Conservation Rally, part of AAZK’s national meeting. We updated our colleagues on the TSA’s accomplishments in spite of a global lockdown and offered collaborative ideas for DBST fundraising during these strange times. In September the Badger Chapter of AAZK in Wisconsin hosted “Tanked for Turtles,” raising funds for TSA at the Biergarten at Olbrich Park.

Perfect weather at this outdoor venue allowed for proper social distancing protocols. October featured the first hometown DBST event in Charleston, South Carolina with our long-time partners Holy City Brewing.

HAY CAMP BREWING – RAPID CITY, SD

Drink Beer. Save Turtles.® in 2020 looked nothing like we had planned. With all intentions, the 2021 calendar will certainly have more in-person DBST events, but it will also see us growing the concept with more ways to participate and find merchandise, additional partnerships, and virtual events!

Interested in hosting a Drink Beer. Save Turtles.® event at your favorite local bar, taproom, or brewery?

Please contact David Hedrick at dhedrick@turtlesurvival.org

A PUBLICATION OF THE TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE • TURTLESURVIVAL.ORG 63

64 DECEMBER 2018 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

A PUBLICATION OF THE TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE • TURTLESURVIVAL.ORG 65

MEMBER SPOTLIGHTS

We Are the TSA lege to work with turtles in the Amazon. Despite numerous challenges, every foray into the field is a great learning experience. One of the most remarkable moments I had in the field was recording Giant South American River Turtle embryos vocalizing for the first time inside their nest. Before I actually heard the sounds transmission, I felt a bit weird recording eggs with a microphone!

What is your proudest moment thus far regarding turtle conservation efforts in Brazil?

CAMILA FERRARA Hometown: Manaus, Amazon, Brazil Occupation: Aquatic ecologist Can you tell our readers about your primary ongoing research?

My main focus today is turtles of the family Podocnemididae, with a particular focus on Giant South American River Turtles (Podocnemis expansa) in the Amazon.

My overall efforts are directed toward the conservation of this critically endangered species. Major components of this effort are the direct protection of the turtles, and nesting beach management projects. Additionally, I am conducting research on behavior and movement patterns of the species to

Ever since I arrived in the Amazon I began working on research and conservation initiatives for its turtles. Now, after 16 years of dedication to the cause, my colleagues and I see that our relentless efforts have not been in vain. In spite of their many threats, populations of Giant South American River Turtle are stabilizing or increasing in several areas. But, we need to fight more for turtle conservation. The most significant threat to this turtle’s survival in the Amazon is the illegal collection and consumption of animals, a problem that is far greater and more difficult to tackle than most of our previous efforts demanded. To facilitate change, we need to provide sound biological data for politicians and stakeholders. This gives them the assets necessary for attracting resources to foster turtle conservation initiatives, change public policy, and placate the cultural demand for turtle meat in a sustainable scenario.

improve measures for their protection, espe-

DAREN RIEDLE

cially during the reproductive period when

Hometown: Independence, Kansas, USA Occupation: Wildlife Diversity Coordinator

the adult turtles and their eggs are quite vulnerable.

What is your most memorable experience with turtles in the field?

My best field experience is having the privi-

66 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

What is your earliest childhood memory with a turtle or tortoise?

I have always had a life-long love for

reptiles and spent hours in the herp buildings at the Tulsa and Oklahoma City zoos.

My first memory of seeing a wild turtle was finding an Ornate Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata) when I was in kindergarten. I was so enamored with the critter, but my 6-yearold sense of animal husbandry was a bit lacking and there were few online resources in 1978. My parents said I could keep it for an hour or so and then I needed to release it.

I balked at this and decided it could live in a small metal bucket I had. That night my mom snuck out, let the turtle go, and tipped the bucket to make it look like it escaped.

It didn’t go far, and I was able to find it the next day. My mom repeated the exercise the second night, but I found the turtle again.

The third night she walked the turtle away from the house and it finally gained its freedom.

Can you tell us about some of your work with the TSA India Program?

The India work came about due to a mutual interest in turtle community ecology that Shailendra Singh and I share. Many conservation projects are typically focused on single-species and, in many instances, are triage actions. While we need to recover imperiled species, we also need to keep

common species common. And, we still have a lot to learn about the role of aquatic turtles in their greater ecological community. Shai and I designed a project focused on determining the population status of the Crowned River Turtle (Hardella thurjii) and the Indian Narrow-headed Softshell Turtle (Chitra indica), two species of interest known to occur in the Sarju-Ghagra River system. While sampling for these two species we also collect mark-recapture data for all the other species occurring in the system.

The hope is to maintain long-term population and abundance data on all river turtles in this region. To date we have captured and marked roughly 2,000 individuals of 9 species on the Sarju River. I am very proud of this project as we are amassing one of the largest turtle data sets in Asia, and are doing so with a field crew run by three exceptional young ladies who are rising stars in the conservation field. Big shout-out to Arunima Singh, Sreeparna Dutta, and Rishika Dubla!

What turtle research and conservation efforts are you currently working on?

In my current position I serve mostly as a coordinator and administrator, with a strong focus on amphibians, reptiles, and birds in Kansas. As far as turtles go my overarching objective is to help behind the scenes as much as possible. We recently wrapped up a survey of Northern Map Turtles in Kansas and I currently work with Day Ligon from Missouri State University on Alligator Snapping Turtle recovery efforts on the western edge of their range. This includes assisting in seeking out funding for field surveys and developing state and federal agreements to ease the way for someday releasing head started turtles on private waters in Kansas. I also serve as an advisor for the Turtle Survival Alliance India Program and the TSA-North American Freshwater Turtle Research Group. I help with grant writing, project design, data analysis, and publications. I have always had a fascination with

Africa, and recently had the opportunity to visit with Tomas Diagne of the African Chelonian Institute. I hope to work with him more in the future.

working in conservation and how did you overcome them?

For several years my research focused on Southeast Asia, while more recently I started working in Southern Africa. In both regions I found corruption and limited financial support to be major challenges.

Yet, the hardest issue to deal with was the omnipresent racism that seriously complicates field research in Southern Africa. In Asia, chelonians are mainly viewed as food, pets, or traditional medicine, while they are widely overlooked in Southern Africa where conservation efforts target bigger game.

However, sparking an interest in locals is probably the most rewarding aspect of this job. More than once did I see jaws drop when people learn that African side-necked turtles (Pelomedusa) can survive years of drought by remaining encased in mud in a dormant state, and that the carapace in hinge-back tortoises (Kinixys) is not cracked, but a functional morphological

FLORA IHLOW

trait.

Hometown: Dresden, Germany Occupation: Biologist / postdoc researcher

If you could go anywhere in the world to work with turtles and tortoises, where would it be and why?

Can you tell our readers a little bit about your work with Hingeback Tortoises?

I would like to continue working in Southeast Asia—an area I fell in love with that

Over the years my work with Hinge-back Tortoises (Kinixys) in Africa expanded considerably from an initial focus on clarifying the diversity and geographic distribution of the genus to a thorough reassessment of morphological diagnostic features, as well as a broad variety of ecological investigations. My work now includes a study on burrow use, feeding, and thermal ecology of the Lobatse Hinge-back Tortoise (K. lobatsiana), the Natal Hinge-back Tortoise (K. natalensis), and to a lesser extent Speke’s (K. spekii) and Southeastern (K. zombensis) hinge-back tortoises.

also happens to be home to some of my

What challenges have you faced

Where? No idea yet.

favorite chelonian species. However, I also want my work to have an impact. Sadly, the decreasing number of specimens in the wild makes field research in Southeast Asia a rather disillusioning and unrewarding experience. Conservation efforts should more often target species before they face immediate threat of extinction. As much as I would want to work with the Black-breasted Leaf Turtle (Geoemyda spengleri) in the mountains of northern Vietnam I would probably pick a place where my contribution might make a bigger difference.

A PUBLICATION OF THE TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE • TURTLESURVIVAL.ORG 67

BECOME A TSA MEMBER With your support, the TSA works to protect more than 100 (approximately one-third) of the tortoise and freshwater turtle species around the globe, including 20 of the world’s top 25 most endangered.

As a TSA member, you will receive our annual publication, e-newsletters, discounted conference registration, opportunities with the TSA’s North American Freshwater Turtle Research Group, and other exclusive benefits throughout the year. TSA members also enjoy a 10% discount every day on most items in the TSA’s online store. Most importantly, your support directly moves us closer to our goal of “zero turtle extinctions!”

Joining has never been easier as we have five levels of membership: • Individual ($50) • Student ($25) • Senior ($25) • North American Freshwater Turtle Research Group ($30) • Organizational ($400)

Become a TSA member at www.turtlesurvival.org

Thank you for your support!

2021 INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY Deadline for spring 2021 internship application is December 31st, deadline for summer 2020 internship application is March 31st The Chelonian Internship Program is perfect for undergraduate and graduate students who plan to pursue a career in conservation and captive management of turtles and tortoises.

Key Benefits: • Gain hands-on experience with the day-to-day operations of a chelonian conservation center • Build husbandry skills for ex situ conservation of some of the world’s most endangered chelonians • Garner firsthand experience with exhibit design and construction geared towards animal care • Develop basic veterinary care techniques as they apply to captive chelonian husbandry • Participate in college-level syllabus featuring structured in-class lectures, quizzes, and reading assignments • Participate in long-term research on North American chelonians For more information, including responsibilities, expectations, qualifications, costs, and how to apply contact Clinton Doak at cdoak@turtlesurvival.org

68 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

Help Conserve Turtles and Tortoises for Future Generations Our Legacy Circle honors individuals who have established a planned gift to provide a future benefit to the Turtle Survival Alliance.

Provide for the future by naming the Turtle Survival Alliance as a beneficiary in your estate plans. A legacy gift will ensure that the Turtle Survival Alliance continues its mission of zero turtle extinctions for years to come. Please contact us to explore the benefits of gift and estate planning, including through life income gifts, gift annuities, mutual funds, real estate, life insurance, and other planned gifts.

Support the Turtle Survival Alliance by donating to the TSA Stewardship Fund. Your gift will have a significant impact on the future by helping to provide an ongoing income.

Colton Brumbaugh protects a female box turtle that was perilously crossing a road in South Carolina. PHOTO CREDIT:

For additional information on how to ensure a safe future for turtles and tortoises with a planned gift, please contact Amy Carter, Director of Development, at acarter@turtlesurvival.org

TAYLOR BRUMBAUGH

Ways to support The Turtle Survival Alliance 1.

Make a Cash Donation Your support by check or credit card moves us closer to a goal of zero turtle extinctions.

2. Give Stocks Contact us to transfer a gift of stocks, bonds, or mutual funds.

3. Join the TSA Become a member of the TSA or buy a gift membership for a friend.

4. Purchase Equipment Check out the TSA’s Wish List on Amazon.com to purchase equipment and supplies that are needed by our staff at the Turtle Survival Center and in the field.

5. Shop at turtlesurvival.org Visit the TSA’s online store to purchase t-shirts, art, publications, and other merchandise to support conservation projects around the world.

6. Volunteer Visit the TSA website for volunteer opportunities.

7. Support the TSA at No Extra Cost to You There are several programs available through which you can support the TSA’s mission by doing what you do every day!

• Amazon.com – Make all your purchases through AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), choose Turtle Survival Alliance as your charity, and a portion of your purchase will be donated to turtle conservation.

• eBay – The TSA is part of the "eBay for Charity" program. So, you can support our mission when you buy and sell on eBay. There are many ways that YOU can contribute to turtle conservation and support the TSA’s mission of zero turtle extinctions. Visit turtlesurvival.org.

www.turtlesurvival.org/get-involved

A PUBLICATION OF THE TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE • TURTLESURVIVAL.ORG 69

DONOR RECOGNITION

Thank you for your support!

We wish to acknowledge the individuals and organizations who donated to support the Turtle Survival Alliance between 1 November 2019 and 1 October 2020. $100,000+ Alan and Patricial Koval Foundation Fagus Foundation Timothy Gregory/Gregory Family Charitable Fund U.S. Department of the Interior

$25,000-$49,999 Disney’s Animal Kingdom San Diego Zoo Utah’s Hogle Zoo

Mohamed bin Zayed (MBZ) Species Conservation Fund Ocean Park Conservation Foundation Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Gardens

Catclaw

Zoo Knoxville

William Cato

Zoo Med

Karrie Chen Jacqueline Cogswell

$5,000-$9,999 British Chelonia Group Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

The Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation Delta Foundation Ed Neil Charitable Fund Felburn Foundation Foundation Segré David Allan Hutchison IUCN - Save our Species

Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo Friends of Wekiva River, Inc. William Holmstrom John D. Mitchell Munich Zoo Hellabrunn AG Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo People’s Trust for Endangered Species Sedgwick County Zoo Tennessee Aquarium Zoo Atlanta

John Iverson

$1,000-$4,999

Andrew Luk

Ellen S Anderson

70 DECEMBER 2020 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

Charitable Foundation) Birmingham Zoo

Roy Young/Nature’s Own

William Dennler

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

Ellen & Guillermo Bernal (Renaissance

June Elizabeth Bradham

Deborah Behler

Barbara Brewster Bonner Charitable Fund

AZFA Clark Waldram Fund

Prince Bernard Nature Fund

Fort Worth Zoo

$10,000-$24,999

Alison Archambault

Columbus AAZK Marc Dupuis-Desormeaux Elmwood Park Zoo AAZK Copper Kettle Brewing Company, LLC Robert Davey Robin De Bled Dickerson Park Zoo Susie Ellis Christian Fischer Jonathon Freezer Gail Gazda Nina Geneson Elizabeth Glassco Global Wildlife Trust, Inc Whitney Green Eileen Connor Greene Owen Griffiths Richard A Hahn

The Project Batagur baska team releases Northern River Terrapins affixed with satellite transmitters into the Sundarbans of Bangladesh. PHOTO CREDIT: JONAS KÜHNAPFEL (VIENNA ZOO)

Hay Camp Brewing Company

Parken Zoo

Bob Walker Bruce Weber

(K&P LLC)

Pat’s Legacy

Honolulu Zoo

Erin Patterson

Rick Hudson

Sean M Perry

Jill Jollay

Memphis Zoo AAZK

Robert and Denise Krause

Saginaw Children’s Zoo

Lisa Lemza

St. Augustine Alligator Farm

Paul Licht Luther King Capital Management The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore The Merck Foundation c/o

Wildlife World Zoo AAZK Woodland Park Zoo Diane Yoshimi Nicholas Young

Zoological Park Santa Fe College - Zoo Animal Technology Seneca Park Zoo

In Kind Acurite

David Shapiro

Jay and Jane Allen

George Meyer

Sievert Family Foundation

AppRiver

Midnight Sun AAZK

Frank Slavens

King’s Landing

Milkywire Foundation

Logan M Speaks

Limehouse Produce

Tony Mills & Kathryn Madden

Staten Island AAZK

Milwaukee County Zoo

Brett & Nancy Stearns

Sandra Moss

Steinhart Aquarium

Naples Zoo

Turtle Conservancy

Nashville Zoo

Turtle Conservation Fund

Wekiwa Island

Nurtured by Nature

Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center

WREN Consulting

Cybergrants, Inc.

Dave Manser/Ponds and Plants Mepkin Abbey Midlands X-Ray

While space limits us from listing all of our donors, we are grateful for every gift that makes our work possible. We gratefully acknowledge our donors for their support and generosity.

Every effort has been made to accurately recognize our donors. If any errors have occurred, please accept our sincere apology and contact our office at (843) 724-9763 with any corrections.

A PUBLICATION OF THE TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE • TURTLESURVIVAL.ORG 71

RICK HUDSON

FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK

Protecting Turtles in the Time of COVID meet even while working in isolation. Our

However, their incredible support continues,

18th Annual Symposium went virtual this

often in intangible ways that are more dif-

year and was a smashing success. Opening

ficult to tally.

with a keynote by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore discussing his famed Photo Ark project followed by 127 presenta-

anniversary here at the Fort Worth Zoo. I

tions representing 21 nations and spanning

want to express my heartfelt gratitude to

eight weeks, thousands of people around

this institution that has always supported my

the world tuned in. Going “virtual” allowed

conservation endeavors and “had my back.”

many people to “attend” that would have

The TSA bears testament to that sustained

been unable to join us in person. We look

support as the Fort Worth Zoo has been one

forward to meeting in person again at our 2021 Symposium in Charleston, and will continue to explore virtual conferencing and As the 2020 edition of Turtle Survival goes

webinar opportunities to engage a diverse

to press, I reflect on the impact COVID-19

international conservation community.

had on TSA’s conservation efforts for turtles and tortoises around the globe. The only certainty this year was that turtle conservation rarely takes a day off. Despite a global pandemic, turtles continued to follow their time-honed instincts. Throughout South and Southeast Asia, River Terrapins, genus Batagur, hatched in impressive numbers—7,568 in total. In Colombia, our collaborative program with the community of Cotoca Arriba, hatched and released 2,296 Magdalena River Turtles, a record number.

In Belize, our stranded field team was able to intensify habitat surveys for Central American River Turtles, leading to the identification of suitable reintroduction sites and release of 144 hatchlings—the first in this program’s history. At our Turtle Survival Center, we added our first North American species, the Flattened Musk Turtle, to the collection, and hatched a record number of Indochinese Box Turtles.

Navigating this unusual year necessitated finding new technologies and new ways to “gather.” Zoom technology allowed us to

34 DECEMBER 2018 • TURTLE SURVIVAL

On September 28th, I celebrated my 40th

As many of our zoo and aquarium partners were forced to shutter their gates, we realized anew the incredible conservation funding impact of this community: zoos and

of our strongest backers since we formed in 2001. Speaking of anniversaries, the TSA has a 20-year milestone coming up January 2021!

Finally, nothing tests family bonds like a crisis. I believe the TSA family will weather this storm and get through it together. Thank you for being part of that family, for all you

aquariums provided a collective $330,000

do to protect turtles and tortoises, and for

in 2019. We are unsure when or if this

your commitment to TSA. We can’t do it

financial support will return to “normal.”

without you.

A female Giant South American River Turtle returns to Colombia’s Meta River after nesting upon its sandy shores. The collaborative community-based program for this species has seen tremendous progress in: female and nest protection, increased community involvement, environmental education, alternative economic activities/ conservation incentives, and developing a sustainable egg harvest model. To date, these efforts have led to the hatching and recruitment of nearly a quarter-million new turtles into the population. PHOTO CREDIT: JAVIER SILVA 34 DECEMBER 2018 • TURTLE SURVIVAL