Sanctuary

The Turtle Center supports the creation of sanctuaries where turtles and tortoises can live protected in their natural environment, wild and free from human intrusions.

Once turtles and tortoises have been taken from the wild, typically by collection for the pet or food trade, it is generally accepted that they can never be released back to their natural world. This standard strives to prevent the spread of diseases from captive to wild animals. The classic example of this risk is the Gopherus agassizi, the California Desert tortoise population that suffered decimation from wide spread infection of upper respiratory infection that originated from captive tortoises released back into the wild.

As an option, The Turtle Center supports the creation of sanctuaries for captive turtles and tortoises, assisting peoples who wish to dedicate sections of land to habitat for captive turtles and tortoises that can never be released to the wild. In these sanctuaries, turtles and tortoises can live their lives with minimal human intrusion, in an environment that duplicates their natural home as much as possible.

When we have no choice but to keep a non-releasable animal in a captive situation, we believe that their food, climatic conditions, seasonal changes and hibernation should be duplicated as closely as possible to their native habitat.  The largest possible space for captive animals should always be provided, even in back-yard situations. And yes, we love to assist in the start-up to prepare new turtle keepers to provide a good home for their new pets.

Education

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The Turtle Center offers educational programs to individuals, groups, families, libraries, schools, organizations, and to new turtle and tortoise caretakers.
 We teach protection and conservation of wild turtle and tortoise populations and their habitats, and can help with some husbandry questions.

We educate in person, through this website, and through the media for effective dissemination.

We invite you to ask us for more information about coming to your meeting or coming to our site for a tour. Please contact us.

Sanctuary


The Turtle Center supports the creation of sanctuaries where turtles and tortoises can live protected in their natural environment, wild and free from human intrusions. In cases of conservation concern, which encompass about one-half the world’s remaining species, these sanctuaries could potentially double as breeding centers for future restocking efforts.

Once turtles and tortoises have been taken from the wild, typically by collection for the pet or food trade, it is generally accepted that they can never be released back to their natural world. This standard strives to prevent the spread of diseases from captive to wild animals. The classic example of this risk is the Gopherus agassizi, the California Desert tortoise population that suffered decimation from wide spread infection of upper respiratory infection that originated from captive tortoises released back into the wild.

As an option, The Turtle Center supports the creation of sanctuaries for captive turtles and tortoises, assisting peoples who wish to dedicate sections of land to habitat for captive turtles and tortoises that can never be released to the wild. In these sanctuaries, turtles and tortoises can live their lives with minimal human intrusion, in an environment that duplicates their natural home as much as possible.

When we have no choice but to keep a non-releasable animal in a captive situation, we believe that their food, climatic conditions, seasonal changes and hibernation should be duplicated as closely as possible to their native habitat. Wild turtles’ and tortoises’ home territories are generally small areas, but for most species, larger than a typical back-yard enclosure. We seek to replicate a suitable-sized natural environment as much as possible. The largest possible space for captive animals should always be provided, even in back-yard situations. And yes, we love to assist in the start-up to prepare new turtle keepers to provide a good home for their new pets.

Why large areas for captive animals?There are many benefits:

  • Just as with humans, turtles and tortoises can experience stress, which weakens their immune system. A more native, naturalistic habitat reduces stress for any animal confined man-made boundaries. Turtles and tortoises are secretive and like to hide. Environments like aquariums, enclosures without hiding places, and over-crowded conditions stress animals that have evolved to hide from predators.
  • Animals kept in small, backyard enclosures often develop health problems relating to the accidental re-ingestion of their excrement. In larger spaces, the excrement deposits are less dense and problems of escalating parasite loads are less severe.
  • Turtles are not necessarily social beings, and larger enclosures with visual barriers circumvent aggression.
  • The natural biota of a larger space provides more variety and resources for turtles and tortoises. Larger spaces do not tend to become overgrazed if proper chelonian densities are maintained within the enclosures.
  • The risk for pesticides, herbicides and other pollutants from the household is minimized.
If you have land that you would like to dedicate to captive turtles or tortoises, we can help you.Most chelonians held captive in larger-scale Turtle Center sanctuaries should be native to their region. Our reasoning is that in events of natural catastrophes, such as floods, or tornados, we do not want non-native species escaping and competing with native species. Inadvertently released non-native species increase the risks of fatal diseases and parasites to native species. Non-native species are kept in larger Turtle Center captive Sanctuaries only when safeguards are in place and with approval of carefully planned programs.

We will work with each piece of land within the United States on an individual basis, analyzing it for:

  • Species selection,
  • Density limits,
  • Water supply, and waste water discharge
  • Extant flora and fauna,
  • Future flora as graze
  • Regular human supervision
  • Boundary requirements (fencing),
  • Governmental regulations, and
  • Any potential governmental tax advantages.
The Turtle Center will first assemble a small ad hoc committee that includes the landowner, a herpetologist, a veterinarian, and representatives from applicable local, state or federal governments. Different sanctuaries and species require different committees, as each sanctuary will have individual requirements.

We will draft a plan that includes budget estimates. When needed, and as funding permits, we will work with each individual to share in the start-up costs for larger-scale sanctuaries. The Turtle Center funds each sanctuary individually. These are long-term projects with long-term cooperative agreements between the Turtle Center and the landowner. Propagation of species will be factored into the agreement and offspring produced will be handled according to sanctuary-specific agreements. If appropriate and approved by the committee, captive propagation for recovery of species at risk can be planned through the Turtle Center or networked through other participating conservation organizations. This Captive Sanctuary program is funded through grants, individual, and corporate donations.

If you own larger spaces of land that you would like to convert to wild sanctuary, where no previously captive animals can be released without strict controls, governmental and veterinarian approvals, we still can help you. This program is in conjunction with a cooperative agreement with The Tortoise Reserve, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates a wild sanctuary program.

To learn more about converting your land for a Turtle Center Sanctuary for captive animals, or three acres or more for wild chelonians, please contact us.