By Gina Stiles
Jacksonville, FL - On Oct. 21, the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) delivered 48 rare and endangered Asian Yellow-headed Temple Turtles to the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. In February 2010, the turtles were part of a rescued shipment of 1,300 turtles and tortoises being smuggled from Indonesia to the food markets in mainland China. Six of the turtles will call Jacksonville Zoo home and eventually be exhibited in one of the ponds in the Asian Bamboo Gardens. Now they are in quarantine in the Zoo’s Animal Heathcare Center where they have been thoroughly examined and are being closely monitored. After they become acclimated to their new surroundings, breeding of the two males and four females will begin. The TSA delivered the other 42 turtles to a private facility in south Florida after the staff at Jacksonville Zoo processed (weighed, measured, etc.) them. The Yellow-headed Asian Temple Turtles are very rare with only 15 living in two other zoos in North America.
The Hong Kong Government seized the shipment of turtles when it was passing through their city. They immediately contacted Koodorie Farm and Botanic Gardens (KFBG), located in the northern foothills of Hong Kong, to pick up the animals. KFBG’s Wildlife Rescue Centre medical staff performed triage and medically treated them due to the inhumane way they were shipped – most stacked one on top of another. Because of their limited resources and space, KFBG could only provide a temporary safe haven for the turtles. Therefore, they have been working with the TSA to find permanent homes with zoos, such as Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, as well as other conservation partners around the world. Jacksonville Zoo is the only zoo in North America to obtain any of the 48 turtles delivered to this continent. The rest of the animals went to zoos and conservation organizations in Europe and Asia.
“For those of us working in the conservation field in this country it is very difficult to watch the crisis that is unfolding with turtles in Asia and not be able to help,” said Executive Director of Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, Tony Vecchio. “It was disheartening to hear about this confiscation but I’m just glad we are able to help out and make a difference.”
The Turtle Survival Alliance organized in 2001 in response to the Asian Turtle Crisis. It is an action-oriented, global partnership of individuals, zoos, aquariums, biologists and researchers who have joined together to help conserve threatened and endangered turtles. To support TSA go to turtlesurvival.org.
Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden is a public-private partnership incorporated and designated as a conservation and education centre by the Legislative Council of Hong Kong on
Jan. 20, 1995. Since that time KFBG has focused on promoting conservation and sustainable living in Hong Kong and South China, with programs on flora and fauna conservation and the promotion of organic agricultural practices. For more information, visit kfbg.org.
For over 90 years, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has been dedicated to inspiring the discovery and appreciation of wildlife through innovative experience in a caring environment. Preservation of sustainable biodiversity is a key mission of the Zoo. From the beginning in 1914, with an animal collection that consisted of only one red deer fawn, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has become one of the top zoos in the nation, now with more than 1,400 rare and exotic animals and over 1,000 unique plant species. The Zoo is a non-profit organization and an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. It is open year-round, seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located on Jacksonville’s north side at 370 Zoo Parkway, one-half mile east from I-95. For more information, go to jacksonvillezoo.org.
To view Jacksonville Zoo's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to:
Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens Zoo and Aquarium Visitor
