60 MINUTES REBROADCASTs PROFILE ON TURTLE CONSERVANCY

NEW YORK, New York— July 11, 2013— Sunday, July 14^th, 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 14^th, 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 9^th 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.