Brazilian authorities have carried out the country’s biggest-ever operation against wildlife trafficking, arresting 45 people and rescuing more than 700 exotic animals. Among the animals seized were brightly coloured toucans and macaws, boxes of tortoises, monkeys, and even a python. They were transported to a central care facility, where veterinarians examined them—some covered with blankets […]
Tag: tortoises
Lovelorn Tortoise Found a Year After it Escaped in Search of a Mate at 0.00012mph
Ginger was a lonely female tortoise who escaped from her home one year ago to try and find love. Single for the first time in years, Ginger dug under the garden fence and made a slow getaway across countryside fields following the death of her longtime companion, Fred. Her dancing days might have been behind […]
Gopher tortoises find new home on Florida coast after astonishing journey to flee hurricane
Dozens of gopher tortoises survived a perilous sea crossing after being swept from their homes during Hurricane Helene last summer, and are enjoying a new lease of life on a remote stretch of Florida coastline. Rangers at Fort de Soto county park near St Petersburg say that before the September storm only eight of the […]
Consciously uncoupling: what drives rates of animal divorce?
In 2011 a shock celebrity break-up garnered headlines around the world – not the separation of Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, nor Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, but the sudden, inexplicable rupture between Bibi and Poldi, two 115-year-old Galápagos tortoises at Happ reptile zoo in Austria. After nearly a century as a couple, the female, […]
No signs of slowdown in wildlife trafficking in 2024 as demand persists
Wildlife trafficking remains a pressing threat to the survival of countless species, with sharks, pangolins, rhinos, birds, big cats and others among the hardest hit. Mongabay’s extensive reporting aligns with the 2024 U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) World Wildlife Crime Report, which highlights these species as prime targets of a $20 billion per […]
Illegal cockfighting threatens endangered sea turtles across Central America
Cockfighting has been illegal in Costa Rica for more than a century, but this violent tradition persists underground across the country. To make the birds deadlier, their owners often tie razor-sharp blades to their legs, known as gaffs or cockspurs. Aside from the roosters, which get seriously injured or killed during fights, another species has […]
Vandals Paint Tortoises in Florida
Two gopher tortoises in southwest Florida are recovering after being spray-painted in a troubling act of vandalism. The Conservancy of Southwest Florida in Naples reported the incident on November 22, sharing that the tortoises were found with their shells covered in vibrant paint, including hot pink, royal blue, and gold. One tortoise even had paint […]
China’s plans to trace wildlife trade risks inflaming trafficking, critics warn
Chinese authorities are considering changes to wildlife trade regulations that govern the live trade in 18 parrot and reptile species, several of which are gravely threatened by poaching and illegal trade. The proposals involve the implementation of a “special marking system” of ID tags on bird leg rings or microchips inserted in reptiles to enable […]