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ATP WEEKLY TURTLE BULLETIN
No. 237, 3rd June 2016
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1. India: Attempt to sell star tortoise: four held Forest officials arrested four persons in Kilimanoor, Kerala, India on the charge of attempting to sell an Indian Star Tortoise (Geochelone elegans) on Monday. The accused were apprehended by a team led by Thiruvananthapuram Flying Squad Divisional Forest Officer J.R. Ani during an attempt to sell the animal which weighs around one-and-a-half kg. Besides being listed under Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, the Indian star tortoise is included on the ‘Red List’ of threatened species published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). |
© thehindu.com |
2. The USA: Threatened Species of Turtle Now Thriving Again in San Francisco’s Mountain Lake A once threatened species of turtle is now thriving again in San Francisco. After a years-long clean-up effort at Mountain Lake, the population of Western Pond Turtles (Actinemys marmorata) seems to be flourishing. It’s part of the restoration of this lake which took almost a decade to clean up poison and remove non-native species. Now the turtles are thriving. |
3. Mexico: Newly Discovered Tortoise Receives Critical Protection Earlier this year, scientists described a new species – Goode’s Thornscrub Tortoise (Gopherus evgoodei) – discovered in the Sinaloan Thornscrub Forests of Mexico. Scientists consider the new species to be at grave risk of extinction due to threats of habitat loss and lack of protection. Rainforest Trust and the Turtle Conservancy acted promptly to assist in the purchase and protection of the surviving population stronghold of the Goode’s Thornscrub Tortoise. An area of 1,000 acres of thornscrub habitat was purchased near Alamos, Sonora, Mexico. The new reserve also protects many other threatened and charismatic species, such as Military Macaws (Ara militaris), Black-throated Magpie-jays (Calocitta colliei), jaguars (Panthera onca) and Northern Casque-headed Frogs (Pternohyla fodiens). |
© T. Edwards |
4. India: Two star tortoise rescued from Indraprastha Park Two Star Tortoises (Geochelone elegans), protected under the country’s wildlife act, were rescued from Indraprastha Park in Delhi, India by a wildlife body on the 1st of June 2016. Wildlife SoS rapid response team responded to a distress call by a person who received an alert after seeing crows creating a ruckus near a bush and later found the two tortoises behind a bush, Co-founder of Wildlife SoS, Kartick Satyanarayan said. |
© trinidadexpress.com |
5. Trinidad and Tobago: Bail for accused turtle-nappers The case involving the couple allegedly caught taking home a Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) hatchling last Friday, was called in the Arima Magistrates’ Court on the 31st of May 2016. Bail was granted and the two told to return to court on the 20th of June. They are charged with the illegal removal of a protected environmentally sensitive species. The pair was allegedly found with the turtle, during a “Stop and Search” exercise in Blanchisseuse of Trinidad and Tobago. The turtle did not survive. Its carcass was brought to court as an exhibit in the case. |
6. Fiji: Department firm on turtle moratorium No Permission will be given to those who apply to Fiji’s Department of Fisheries for turtle slaughtering, except for chiefly installations. With the spawning season almost complete, director Fisheries Department, George Madden reiterated the turtle moratorium was still in place and should be strictly followed. He said only applications for traditional functions would be considered. |
© S. Silaitoga |
