60 MINUTES TO REBROADCAST PROFILE ON TURTLE CONSERVANCY; “The Race to Save the

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Cowboy_Ken

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FROM HERPDIGEST AND TURTLE CONSERVANCY

60 MINUTES TO REBROADCAST PROFILE ON TURTLE CONSERVANCY;
“The Race to Save the Tortoise” Sunday, July 14, 2013
261 endangered Turtles and Tortoises hatched since original broadcast

NEW YORK, New York— July 11, 2013— Sunday, July 14th, CBS will rebroadcast ‘The Race To Save The Tortoise’, a 60 Minutes segment that profiles the work of Eric Goode and the Turtle Conservancy. Originally broadcast on December 9, 2012, it shed light on the plight of turtles and tortoises that have existed over 200 million years and now find themselves on the brink of extinction due to illegal trade and poaching. The re-airing of The Race To Save the Tortoise will broadcast on CBS stations on Sunday, July 14th, 7pm EST/ 8pm CST. In the ensuing seven months the Turtle Conservancy has made broad strides in its mission to save endangered turtles and tortoises. Some highlights include:

Since the first airing of 60 Minutes on December 9th 2012, the Turtle Conservancy’s renowned captive breeding center in California has hatched 261 turtles and tortoises. These hatchlings include 82 Critically Endangered Burmese Star Tortoises (Geochelone platynota), 72 Critically Endangered Radiated Tortoises (Astrochelys radiata), 46 Endangered Asian Forest Tortoises (Manouria emys phayrei), 38 Vulnerable Black Pond Turtles (Geoclemys hamiltonii), 5 Vulnerable Pancake Tortoises (Malacochersus tornieri), 4 Endangered Spiny Turtles (Heosemys spinosa), 4 Endangered Forsten’s Tortoises (Indotestudo forstenii), 2 Critically Endangered Flat-tailed Tortoises (Pyxis planicauda), and 1 Critically Endangered Spider Tortoise (Pyxis arachnoides)among others.

The Turtle Conservancy runs the worlds most successful ex situ breeding program for endangered chelonians. The organization breeds more individuals from more endangered taxa than any other institution in the world. Its captive breeding center currently manages assurance colonies representing over 1/3 of the world’s most Critically Endangered turtle and tortoise taxa. In addition, the Turtle Conservancy is one of the few institutions that have had success breeding a variety of species including the Chaco Tortoise (Chelonoidis chilensis), Parrot-beaked Padloper (Homopus areolatus), Speckled Padloper (Homopus signatus), Assam Roofed Turtle (Pangshura sylhetensis), Ryukyu Black-breasted Leaf Turtle (Geoemyda japonica), and the Impressed Tortoise (Manouria impressa). In early 2013, the TC returned five Critically Endangered Golden Coin Turtles hatched at the TC back to their native land in Hong Kong. This historic accomplishment represents the first repatriation of captive-bred turtles from the U.S. to a native country.

This year the TC is supporting projects on the ground to protect endangered turtles and tortoises in China, Guyana, India, Mexico, Madagascar, Nicaragua, Pakistan, South Africa, and the USA, and has conducted fieldwork around the world, particularly in Southeast Asia, investigating the turtle and tortoise trade. In South Africa, the TC has partnered with the Cape Province wildlife agency Cape Nature and well-known turtle biologist Dr. Margaretha Hofmeyr on two projects related to the Critically Endangered Geometric Tortoise (Psammobates geometricus) and the little-known Karoo Padloper(Homopus boulengeri).

In the Carribean, the TC has partnered with entrepreneur and conservationist Sir Richard Branson to create additional captive assurance colonies for the endangered Madagascar Radiated Tortoise (Astrochelys radiata), the Burmese Star Tortoise (Geochelone platynota) and the Burmese Mountain Black Tortoise (Manouria emys phayrei), on Branson’s private Necker and Moskito Islands in the British Virgin Islands. Tortoises from the TC’s captive breeding colony, the Behler Chelonian Center, are being transferred to enclosures on this Caribbean island where environmental conditions closely mimic the tortoises’ natural habitat.

With the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and Thai Professor and Veterinarian Dr. Nantarika Chansue, the TC completed an emergency rescue effort to provide proper care and management for a large confiscation of Critically Endangered Ploughshare Tortoises recovered by authorities in Bangkok during March 2013.

The Turtle Conservancy is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to protecting the most endangered turtles and tortoises and their habitats worldwide. The Conservancy's Behler Chelonian Center is the premiere facility for breeding Critically Endangered turtles and tortoises in the United States. Since 2005 the Conservancy has combined this highly successful breeding program with conservation efforts in the wild.
 

wellington

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Sounds like they are making some good progress. Hopefully, it will continue. Thanks for the heads up. Can't wait to watch it.
 

tortadise

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Cowboy_Ken said:
With only 5 pancakes produced, it makes me wonder how many they have as breeders.

Makes me wonder too. How they are the "only" chilensis(chaco) breeder and such limited numbers of pxis(spiders), and only 4 forstenii?????? partial clutch maybe???. All I have to say, is they sure are successful at getting into the media a lot. Thanks for sharing but really they hold no ground for many other people I know in successfully breeding and assuring certain species are to survive in captivity. They do great work yes. But they most certainly did not pioneer the homopus captive breeding program.

I really am not trying to sound negative or start a debate or anything. But I just get really tired of these guys utilizing their fame and money to nestle into the media and portray things that are exaggerated to their benefit. Yes I do love the ultimate success in all the species, and re-establishing critically endangered specimens back to the wild. But I don't like the gloating of it, especially when a majority of so is falsely stated for media purposes.
 

Zabbi0

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60 minutes

Did anyone see that clip on torts on 60 Minutes Sunday?
It was very neat. I was just curious what everyone thought about the 'etching' of the shell thing to make torts less appealing to collectors. I understand what they mean by hoping that the etching will make collectors leave the torts in their natural habitat but this was an interesting thing I hadn't heard of before. I'm not sure how I feel about it. Anyone? Ill see if I can find the clip.


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That was easy. Here we go.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r1Gd0YMsREE


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Cowboy_Ken

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60 minutes

It's the equivalent to taking a chainsaw to a rhinos horn. I'm all for it if it works. Although I'd be happier if it were unneeded.
 

VladimirPDX

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60 minutes

I watched it too!!! I didn't like the etching of the shells! Not that I have a better solution, but it just didn't seem right [DISAPPOINTED BUT RELIEVED FACE]

And is anyone els concerned about releasing these CB torts back to the wild? In theory it sounds like a nice idea to pump up the numbers but these little guys who have been fed from a plate now just have to try to make it in the real world?
 

Grandpa Turtle 144

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60 minutes

Yes I seen it but I didn't like the way they shortened it there is a longer version on the enternet but they still cut the shells
 

mike taylor

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Re: 60 minutes

They just need better punishment for the law breakers . Cut off some fingers and maybe they will think twice before taking the tortoise out of the wild.

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sibi

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RE: 60 minutes

It's a necessary evil. A big part of the attraction to these tortoises is the beauty of their shell. Etching it , let's say, devalues the shell and dissuade buyers from buying them. Hopefully, what little are left in the world may have an opportunity to increase their numbers. The part that was painful to me is that the etchings must hurt them. I know when I try and clean out some embedded dirt from my torts shell, especially along the growth lines, my tort jumps as if he were in pain. There's no doubt in my mind that it hurts them. Aside from that, I'm glad that they are doing this to preserve the animal. It would be a lot worse if they were to go extinct.
 

Zabbi0

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I was wondering where my post went. I guess it got moved to here since there was another topic similar. But yes- you could tell the tort was in pain in the clip. It totally broke my heart. I wonder how long it hurts them after the etching is done. I wish there was a better solution or even option to making them look 'less appealing' to buyers.

Also- yes it threw me off as well how he was saying he would keep them a while then put them back in the wild. I think it would cause quite a bite of confusion for the torts... Being 'domesticAted' in a sense then thrown back out. I think if you decide to home a tort, you should keep it that way. I feel like putting the tort back in the wild might make it easier prey in the beginning before the tort can adapt/adjust back to living in the wild.


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Grandpa Turtle 144

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If you watch the same thing on the Internet it was a lot longer.and as far as I can see there isn't. Any way to stop the marking of the shells
 
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