The New York Turtle and Tortoise Society, Inc., is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the conservation, preservation of habitat, and the promotion of proper husbandry and captive propagation of turtles and tortoises. The Society emphasizes the education of its members and the public in all areas relevant to the appreciation of these unique animals.
The Annual Turtle and Tortoise Show, on Saturday, May 30, in Greenwich Village, New York City was a great success! Pictued right: Gary Weiler displays his Best-in-Show trophy for his breeding pair of red-footed tortoies and their offspring. More photos and announcement of other winners to follow. Photo by Anita Salzberg
Clarifying Regulations in New York State for all Native Species: The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation now requires a permit to keep any species of reptile and amphibian native to New York State. This includes all twelve species of New York turtles. The mechanism by which owners of New York turtles may acquire permits is being investigated. Read and download an overview of the new regulations.
From “Eaten to Extinction”—Assignment Earth, on Yahoo.com
Video from guardian.co.uk
Compare these two videos. The first, from Assignment Earth, draws upon the video tapes of the Guangzhou market in China taken by Dr. Bill McCord in 1997. His widely distributed video footage and photos published by NYTTS and others became a clarion call for action. The state of urgency was dubbed “The Asian Turtle Crisis” (a take-off the Asian financial crisis of the 90s), and numerous Web sites and news articles helped raise public awareness. Conservation programs were launched both in Southeast Asia and in the United States. These included the Turtle Survival Alliance, the Asian Turtle Conservation Network, breeding endangerd turtles at the Tennessee Aquarium (referenced in the video), and the Asian Scholarship Program (originally launched by NYTTS and the Terrapin Conservation Project at the Wetlands Institute).
But how much has changed in the twelve years since the orginal market videos and photos were taken? The second video was just taken in May, also in Guangzhou.
In this video, by guardian.com.uk, student activists Wen Zhenyu and Luo Xinmei are trying to halt the illegal sale of endangered animals for food and medicines. Note the footage of tanks and pens filled with turtles. The facilities look a bit more modern, but the conditions differ little.
A Yangtze giant softshell turtle was rescued and returned to the wild last November after flooding caused a dam to break on a lake outside of Hanoi. In February the Asian Turtle Program of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo hosted a workshop for residents of the Vietnamese communities bordering the lake. See report on this workshop from Asian Turtle News (PDF).
This critically endangered turtle is one of only four in the world, one in Hoan Keim Lake in central Hanoi, and two in China at the Suzhou Zoo in a breeding program, which was reported on by Dr. Paul Calle at the Annual NYTTS Seminar in March.
Reptile Blog by Frank Indiviglio:
Frank Indiviglio, former Staten Island Zoo and Bronx Zoo keeper, and long-time friend of NYTTS, writes numersous articles for That Pet Place, especially for That Reptile Blog as well as others. About 130 articles have been posted to date, covering pet care, natural history, Frank’s own experiences, and breaking research news. Frank writes all the articles for the Reptile Blog and for the Avian Blog, as well as many for the Fish Blog. Turtle folks may go directly to Frank’s collection of Turtle and Tortoise articles. Readers can leave comments, ask questions, and share observations. See also Frank’s biography of experiences.
Radio Program on Turtle Conservation: “Regional, National and International Turtle Conservation: Why, Where and How” — Eco-Logic, an environmental radio program by Ken Gale, on Radio Station WBAI, 99.5 FM (in the New York City metropolitan area), was broadcast on December 2. Interviewed on the program was Lorri Cramer of NYTTS. Hear the entire program online (interview takes place after preliminary announcements).
Children’s Books About Turtles: Turtle Rehab Program director Lorri Cramer has assembled a list of books about turtles recommended for children. See the Children’s Book List.
Membership
Membership in the New York Turtle and Tortoise Society, which includes subscriptions to NYTTS publications and discounts to books and other sale items, is open to all interested persons (children are welcome to join under the supervision of their parents or guardians) for an annual fee of $25. Please send check, payable to NYTTS Membership, to NYTTS, P.O. Box 878, Orange, NJ 07051-0878.
NYTTS News Group E-mail Service. Society members may now subscribe to the NYTTSnews e-mail service. This is an important means of communicating with our members. To add your name, enter your e-mail address in the space at the left and click the Join Now! button. To learn more about the NYTTSnews group, please visit groups.yahoo.com/group/NYTTSNews.
Questions? Send your e-mail inquiries to the following addresses:
About the Society, meetings, memberships, and general animal care:
QandA@nytts.org
Turtle Rehab and Questions about Injured Turtles — Lorri Cramer:
lorric@nytts.org
Mail Orders: Books, T-shirts, and Sale Items —
Allen Foust:
allenf@nytts.org
