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ATP WEEKLY TURTLE BULLETIN
No. 196, 21st August 2015
1. France to return 150 tortoises to Madagascar Some 150 endangered baby tortoises will return to Madagascar eight months after they were found wrapped in sticky tape and hidden in a crate at a Paris airport, Tortoise Village in France's south-eastern Var region said on Tuesday (18th August 2015). The centre took in these Radiated Tortoises (Astrochelys radiata) after they were found in the secret compartment of a crate transporting sea cucumbers through Charles de Gaulle airport in December 2014. At the time, the tortoises, which weighed only 20g and measured up to 4cm, were too small to face a second international flight straight away. However, on Tuesday, the centre said the tortoises were now in good shape and had gained between 40 and 60 per cent in weight. They are due to fly home on the 24th of August 2015. |
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© youtube.com
© Telegraph.co.uk |
2. Costa Rica: Plastic straw removed from turtle's nose by marine biologists in heart-breaking video Video is released showing the moment a plastic straw is removed from the nose of an endangered sea turtle to warn of the dangers of dumping rubbish in the sea A group of marine biologists in Costa Rica were horrified to discover an Olive Ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys Olivacea) with a 10-12 cm plastic straw lodged in its nostril. Christine Figgener, a field biologist with a research interest in conservation filmed the excruciating 8 minute-long extraction operation, which left the poor turtle bleeding and clearly wincing in pain. "This video shows why plastic rubbish is detrimental to marine life”, said Ms Figgner. |
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© S. Platt |
3. Kalyar Platt Receives the 10th Annual Behler Turtle Conservation Award The Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) has announced that the 10th Annual John L. Behler Turtle Conservation Award has been presented to TSA Turtle Conservation Coordinator in Myanmar, Kalyar Platt. The award was presented at the 13th Annual Symposium on the Conservation and Biology of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles in Tucson, Arizona on the 9th of August. Kalyar is the first female recipient of this prestigious honour, as well as the youngest honouree in the award’s history. |
4. Malaysia: Smuggled turtle eggs recovered on Sandakan beach A shipment of turtle eggs believed to have been smuggled from the Philippines were recovered at Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia on the 18th of August 2015. The 2,600 eggs kept in six plastic bags and two sacks were found on the beach near Kampung Forest (Malaysia) where two men were spotted unloading the cargo from a pump boat at about 4am. Mohamad Madun, Sabah Marine Police Chief Assistant Commissioner, said the two men escaped using the pump-boats into the cover of darkness as the patrolling team approached the shore to check on what they were doing. He added that the turtle eggs would be handed over to the State Wildlife Department and attributed the success to information received from the public. |
© H. A. Rahman |
5. Vietnam: Wildlife confiscation in Quang Binh province. On the 19th of August 2015, Quang Binh Traffic police stoppeded a 16-seat car (plated: 75B-00637) running on the National Highway 1A, at the location near Quang Ninh district, Quang Binh province. Upon investigation, they detected 13 Asian palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphrodites) (38kg) and 7 Chinese softshell turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis) (35kg) and rotting animal organs. The wildlife has been handed over to Quang Binh’s Forest Protection Department. |
6. Da Nang city, Vietnam: Local resident voluntarily transferred red-shanked douc langur and Malayan snail-eating turtles On August 19th, Da Nang Forest Protection Department (FPD) transferred one newly-born female Red-shanked Douc Langur (Pygathrix nemaeus) weighing 600g to Sai Gon Zoo and Botanical Garden. Earlier, on the 5th of August, Truong Van Duc transferred this douc to Hoa Vang FPD of Da Nang city after he found it near the forest. Additionally, in July, Da Nang FPD handed over 20 Malayan snail-eating turtles (Malayemys subtrijuga) to Turtle Conservation Centre (TCC) – Cuc Phuong National Park. |
7. India: 100 Indian Star Tortoises rescued in covert operation In a joint covert operation by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) and the anti-poaching unit of the forest department, Thane, 100 Indian Star Tortoises (Geochelone elegans), protected under schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 were seized near Kurla station on the 13th of August after a tip-off. Both the accused were presented at a magistrate court in Vikhroli on 14th of August and are currently in the custody of the forest department till the 24th of August, which is also the date for the next hearing. |
© theguardian.com |
8. Mexico: Drones to combat turtle egg poachers in Mexico – video Authorities in Mexico will deploy drones on south-western beaches in Oaxaca to protect against a reported surge in poaching of the eggs of the threatened Olive Ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea). The turtles return to the country’s coast each year to lay their eggs in the sand. The sale of turtle meat and eggs has been banned in Mexico for more than two decades, but the threat of jail has not deterred poachers. It is hoped that the drones would eradicate the illegal extraction of turtle eggs in the area. |
