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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.



Society Activities


Membership Information


Calendar of Events


Annual Turtle and Tortoise Show


Information on the 1999 Annual Seminar


Mail-Order Catalogue for Books, T-Shirts, and other Sale Items


Links to Current News Articles About Turtles




Links to Other Turtle Organization and Related Conservation Organizations


Links to Turtle Care Information


The NYTTS Vet List — A Directory of Veterinarians Who Treat Turtles


CRITICAL LINKS ON THIS SITE:

Asian turtles are being threatened with extinction.

The Turtle Conservation and Ecology Project at the Cuc Phuong National Park in Vietnam

Proceedings: Conservation, Restoration, and Management of Tortoises and Turtles -- An International Conference



ANNOUNCEMENTS:

CITES Protects all Asian Box Turtles  At an international meeting in April of the signatory countries of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). in Nairobi, Kenya, all Cuora species (Asian box turtles) were added to Appendix II.  For additional details, see CITES Meeting.

Terrapin Deaths on Cape Cod.  Alarming numbers of diamondback terrapin carcasses have been found this winter in Wellfleet’s Fox Island Wildlife Management Area, Cape Cod, Massachusetts.  Don Lewis, volunteer for the Massachusetts Audubon Society, presents his disturbing evidence for the causes of this tragic loss to Cape Cod’s terrapin population:  Death in the Marsh.


Hofstra University Diamondback Volunteer Project.  Interested in Wildlife?  Conservation?  Working on the beach?  Volunteers are needed to help with a local diamondback terrapin conservation project this spring and summer.  Students can receive credit for their participation in this program. You can get a fantastic tan while helping out a species in trouble, get valuable experience with wildlife, and do something for the natural world!  Volunteers must have their own transportation to Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Gateway National Recreational Area (Brooklyn and Queens).  For more information contact:

Dr. Russell Burke
Department of Biology, Hofstra University
(516) 463-5521 — biorlb@hofstra.edu

WASHINGTON, March 21, 2000 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is prohibiting, until further notice, the importation of certain land tortoises.  Heartwater is an acute tick-borne disease of domestic and wild ruminants including cattle, sheep, goats, and deer.  This disease is caused by the rickettsial bacterium Cowdria ruminantium which is transmitted by the ticks of the genus Amblyomma.  Animals or wildlife that contact this disease have a mortality rate of 40–100%.  The ticks primarily infect two African tortoises of the genus Geochelone, the African spurred tortoise (Geochelone sulcata) and the leopard tortoise (Geochelone pardalis).  More on federal rule.

     The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission previously moved to prohibit the importation of the African spurred tortoise and the leopard tortoise .  More on Florida’s emergency rule.  See also Florida news report, “Infected Ticks Pose a Threat” (opens new browser window; close to return to NYTTS page).


Red-Eared Slider Alert!  For the NYTTS Adoption Committee, among the hardest species of turtles to place is the ever-plentiful red-eared slider!  Many have been turned in to us.  Some are long-term pets that could no longer be cared for by their owners; others have been seized from fish markets and were destined for the soup pot.  These animals cannot be released, so the only alternative is to find them good homes.  Won’t you consider offering a needy red-ear a home?  Please contact NYTTS Adoption Committee chairman Scott Hendrickson at scott.hendrickson@rcmt.com.



Memberships

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 $20.  Please send check, payable to NYTTS Membership, to NYTTS, P.O. Box 878, Orange, NJ 07051-0878.

  Questions?  Send your e-mail inquiries to the following addresses: