TSA Magazine Archives
Download back issues of Turtle Survival, the TSA's annual publication, below. Members receive the full-color magazine each year, as a benefit of their membership in the TSA. To purchase print copies of back issues, visit our STORE!
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About Turtle Survival Alliance
The Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) was formed in 2001 as an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) partnership for sustainable captive management of freshwater turtles and tortoises, and initially designated a Task Force of the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. The TSA arose in response to the rampant and unsustainable harvest of Asian turtle populations to supply Chinese markets, a situation known as the Asian Turtle Crisis.
Since forming, the TSA has become recognized as a global force for turtle conservation, capable of taking swift and decisive action on behalf of critically endangered turtles and tortoises. Although the TSA was organized in response to the Asian Turtle Crisis, the group has been expanded as our understanding of the scope of turtle and tortoise declines has become better understood. The TSA has been particularly involved in recovery efforts where a managed breeding component is part of an overall survival strategy. The TSA employs a comprehensive strategy for evaluating the most critically endangered chelonians that identifies whether a species is prioritized for a captive program or through range country efforts, or a combination of both.
In the past 13 years, TSA secured nonprofit 501(c)(3) status (2005) and has centralized its base operations in South Carolina by opening the Turtle Survival Center (2013). The Turtle Survival Center, which now has AZA certification (2018), is home to a collection of more than 700 turtles and tortoises, representing 30 of the world’s critically endangered species. The TSA has also grown internationally, with significant field projects or programs in Madagascar, Myanmar and India, and additional projects in Belize, Colombia, and throughout Asia.
Today, the TSA is an action-oriented global partnership, focusing on species that are at high risk of extinction, and working in turtle diversity hotspots around the world. Widely recognized as a global catalyst for turtle conservation based on its reputation for swift and decisive action, the TSA has made a bold commitment to zero turtle extinctions in the 21st Century. The TSA is a recognized force for turtle conservation globally. TSA’s conservation actions utilize a three-pronged approach:
1. Restoring populations in the wild where possible;
2. Securing species in captivity through assurance colonies; and
3. Building the capacity to restore, secure and conserve species within their range country.
Angulate/Bowspirt Tortoise
Spiny Hill Turtle
Tampa Bay
Turtle & Tortoise
Society, Inc.
Golden Greek Tortoise
Greek Tortoise
Monthly Newsletter
August 2020 Issue
Meeting Date: 8/8/20 Meeting time 7pm. This will be a Zoom meeting. Ralph will send everyone
the sign-in and password as the time draws near and is for current members only at this time.
Guest Speaker: Anthony Pierlioni with The TurtleRoom’s. Anthony's talk will be "Seeing Both
Sides: Education and Conservation Potential of Breeding Programs".
Misc Notes
Please update your email information with Ralph Till at rascal1843@aol.com. We only use this
information for club business and it helps for club members to stay up to date on any last minutes
changes that may occur. It will also help ensure that you receive your electronic copy of our
monthly newsletter.
If you would like to submit an article or pictures to be published in the next upcoming newsletter,
please email it to Kim at sparty@tampabay.rr.com. Please submit by the end of the month to be
published in the next month’s newsletter.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact any of the officers listed below:
Elected & Appointed Officers
President - Ralph Till
727-515-7443 Rascal1843@aol.com
Vice President – Mark Randall
20smoke@mindspring.com
Treasurer/Membership - Ralph Till
727-515-7443 Rascal1843@aol.com
Secretary/Public Relations - Kim Illum
sparty@tampabay.rr.com
Newsletter Editor – Mark & Kim Illum
sparty@tampabay.rr.com
Facebook Coordinator – Ralph, Mark R & Kim
https://www.facebook.com/groups/704741876316303/
New Website under construction:
http://www.tbtts.org/
RALPH'S RAMBLINGS
Hello Everyone,
These are trying times for sure, just when Covid-19 seemed to be loosing it's steam we are once again
fully immersed. I hope everyone is managing well and staying safe.
Since last month, we have had a virtual board meeting were we discussed some key issues in our club
that are related to Covid-19 and the TBTTS.
With that, we are forced to make some adjustments within the Tampa Bay Turtle & Tortoise Society. Until
further notice, we will NOT have any meetings at the classroom but will
conduct them virtually via Zoom. We had our first meeting last month using this tool and it went pretty
well, considering my amateur status. As time goes on I'm certain things will improve. The club has
secured a one year subscription to Zoom ($155.00) which will allow us to connect with all that are
interested. The City of Clearwater and Moccasin Lake Nature Park are allowing us to use the Interpretive
Center as a studio(see photos on our Facebook page) and manager Lloyd Simmons has been
instrumental in assisting me with the setup. Next time you see Lloyd please be sure to thank him.
At our next meeting, August 8th, 2020 we'll have theTurtleRoom's Anthony Pierlioni as our speaker.
Anthony's talk will be "Seeing Both Sides: Education and Conservation Potential of Breeding Programs".
Anthony presented this talk at the TTPG in Phoenix and it was very well received.
Each year we (the board) decide on who we feel is a candidate for assistance in the turtle/tortoise world.
In trying to stay within our home boundaries, we felt that assisting the Central Florida Wildlife Center with
some of the enormous medical bills incurred with treating sick or injured Gopher Tortoises was the ideal
choice. The board decided on a total of $500.00, distributed in two installments. It makes me proud to be
part of an organization that is this caring. This also fulfills an obligation to our 501c3 status.
Finally, we felt it was in the best interest to all the members that we postpone our annual auction. There
were several suggestions made to try and be accommodating, but none of them answered the most
important question, how to you keep everyone safe in a small room. This sucks, besides our annual club
dues of $20.00, this is our number one source of revenue. Hopefully we'll be able to reschedule at a later
date.
Enough for now, keep on the look-out for an email with the link to our next month's Zoom meeting.
Ralph
Rascal1843@aol.com
Upcoming Club Speakers
September 12, 2020 – TBD, this is typically our annual auction but we will be postponing it to a later date
October 10, 2020 – TBD
November 14, 2020 – No guest speaker, this is our annual election night (current members only)
December 12, 2020 – No guest speaker, our annual Christmas party (current members only)
NOTE: If you would be interested in doing a talk, pls contact Ralph Till at Rascal1843@aol.com for
additional information.
Upcoming Club Events
Upcoming reptile shows
Repticon Sarasota – August 1st & 2nd 2020
Repticon Tampa – August 8th & 9th 2020
Daytona National Reptile Breeders Expo – August 20th – 23rd 2020
Repticon FIRE show – September 5th & 6th 2020
Repticon Kissimmee – October 24th & 25th 2020
Repticon Tampa – November 14th & 15th 2020 – volunteers needed
Repticon Orlando – December 5th & 6th 2020
Turtles/Tortoises Videos
Eating corn on the cob:
https://www.facebook.com/etheltheglamourtort/videos/278610770055670/?v=278610770055670
Rare albino flapshell turtle found by a farmer:
https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2020/07/21/india-yellow-turtle-found-orig-
mss.cnn?fbclid=IwAR29KV2t2cdwNwuQqz9RHFXUQe-j2rg4DMFZkTwpc_CeFQ4tS_qfwvFE8BM
Turtle snatches a pigeon:
https://roaring.earth/turtle-vs-
pigeon/?utm_source=ofb&utm_medium=pa&utm_campaign=7820&fbclid=IwAR0PX-VG-
mDYYOKm25r1HiIB_FzD1nxF9Jz9i-6Ui6WnnC-ad9FKj2bPpxA
Turtles/Tortoises in the News
87 Sea Turtle Hatchlings Rescued From Storm Drain:
https://patch.com/florida/clearwater/video-87-sea-turtle-hatchlings-rescued-storm-
drain?fbclid=IwAR3DrGzoCigJkgW6cg18oifQ1SmxZWhYQf-2uphYEGUPOeVH7fTMfcTO1AI
Drone Footage Shows Thousands of Nesting Sea Turtles:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/drone-footage-shows-thousands-nesting-sea-
turtles-180975087/
Tuksi come home: Elephant Head community brings lost tortoise home:
https://www.gvnews.com/news/tuksi-come-home-elephant-head-community-brings-lost-
tortoise-home/article_bcfd2ad0-cdcc-11ea-ab34-573d789f01c2.html
Hi Everyone. This is stop 2 of 2, but this is part 1 of 2 for this stop. 2nd stop: Grand Caymans. We
visited the Cayman Turtle Centre aka The Turtle Farm. It is an amazing place to visit. The 1st part of
our visit at the Centre was a tour of the Centre. The 2nd part was swimming in a lagoon with Green
Sea Turtles. Unfortunately I did not get any pics of me swimming with them, but it was amazing. All
of the sea turtles kept surrounding me, swimming under me, going through my legs, swimming
beside me. Other visitors in the lagoon were jealous because none of the sea turtles were going by
them. Later I realized why they might have kept coming to me, my nails were painted pink with a
heavy sliver glitter nail polish. Hahahahaha. Here is their main breeding pond for the Green Sea
turtles, there are approx. 350 Green Sean Turtles in this area:
This photo from their website to show you the lagoon
Regards, Kim & Mark Illum
Kidz Korner
Turtle/Tortoise Tender Tales (rescue stories)
This rescue story is brought to you by Swamp Girl Adventures Reptile Rehabilitation:
This is one tough girl! On 7/14/20, She was hit by a car while out foraging, she was in bad shape!
The first picture showing with the pink organ sticking out, that is her stomach. As you can see she is
now recovering nicely with the non-invasive hook and wire method. No drills, no plaster or patches
just safe and easy to remove hooks and wires to stabilize the carapace (top shell) and reduce the
fractures so that they can heal. This should only be done by a licensed and experienced veterinarian
or wildlife rehabilitator. The pic with the pink wrap was from 7/23, she is enjoying some outdoor
time and improving daily!
As always, we thank our followers for any support you provide either monetary or supplies through
our Amazon with list. We are also seeking transport volunteers. If you are interested please
message us, as we can definitely use more transport help. Lake, Polk, Orange, Osceola, Seminole,
Hillsborough, and Pinellas just to name off some of the more common areas. Once we have some
volunteers gathered we will have a virtual training session.
Regards, Kim & Crew
Swamp Girl Adventures Reptile Rehabilitation
To see more of the rehabs we currently have and some of the outreach programs we’ve done, please
visit: http://www.swampgirladventures.org/
Also like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SwampGirlAdventures/
On 8/21/20: 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM Turtle Talks at the Daytona Hilton Hotel. Everyone is invited
Speakers at Turtle Night:
7:00 PM - Wayne Hill: Working with Galapagos Turtles
8:00 PM - David Rostal: Advances in Sexing Techniques for Turtles
9:00 PM - Quetzal Dwyer: Turtle Husbandry and Breeding at Praque Reptilanda
10:00 PM - Speaker to be announced
On 8/22/20: The National Reptile Breeders Expo is open 10am-5pm. Then 8:00 PM - 12:00 PM
Auction at the Daytona Hilton Hotel (top of the escalator). Everyone is invited.
On 8/23/20: The National Reptile Breeders Expo is open 10am-5pm
For more info visit: http://www.reptilebreedersexpo.com/index.htm
More info can be found: http://www.ttpg.org/conferences.php
More info can be found: https://turtlesurvival.org/2020-symposium/
This is free of charge.
Classified Section
You may place your animals, items, services that you have for sale in the club’s newsletter. Ads will
run month to month and you must renew it for every month that you would like. Ads are free to up
to date/paid members, or $5.00 per month ($8.00 for 2 months) for non-members.
Adoptions
Looking to re-home out your reptile? Place a free ad for any reptile that you are looking to adopt
out (free ads are for reptiles which does NOT have a re-homing fee).
Advertising Rates
1/8th Page = $8 per issue or $75 per year (savings of $21).
1/4th Page = $11 per issue or $100 per year (savings of $32).
1/2 Page = $16 per issue or $150 per year (savings of $42).
Full Page = $25 per issue or $225 per year (savings of $75).
Pricing includes art/graphics/color, however you send the advertisement will be published in our
electronic newsletter.
Please email over the Classified/Adoptions/Advertisement info by the end of the month to: Kim at
sparty@tampabay.rr.com
All payments for advertisements should be sent directly to:
Moccasin Lake Nature Park
c/o Tampa Bay Turtle & Tortoise Society, Inc.
2750 Park Trail Ln.
Clearwater, FL 33759
Smelt Feed & Pet Supply has gracefully
offered to give us a $15.00 gift certificate
each month for our monthly raffle. Stop by
their store and see what they have:
4116 East 7th Ave. Tampa, FL 33605
www.smeltfeed.com
https://www.facebook.com/SmeltFeed
Other Herp Societies
The Turtle & Tortoise Club of Florida – Orlando Chapter
Meets on the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 7pm
Location: Oakland Nature Preserve, 747 Machete Trail, Oakland, FL 34787
Suncoast Herpetological Society Inc.
website: http://www.kingsnake.com/suncoastherpsociety/SHSHome.htm
meets on the 4th Saturday of the month at 6:00pm.
Location: Moccasin Lake Nature Park 2750 Park Trail Ln. Clearwater, FL 33759
Central Florida Herpetological Society
website: Centralfloridaherpsociety.org
meets on the 4th Sunday of every other month at 2:00 PM but you want to be there between 1:00 -
1:30 PM for parking
Location: Orlando Public Library, Downtown Branch, Anderson Room 3rd Floor, 101 East Central
Blvd Orlando, FL 32801
Calusa Herpetological Society
website: calusaherp.org
meets on the first Thursday at 7:00 PM
Location: In the Iona house at the Calusa Nature Center
Jacksonville Herpetological Society
website: jaxherp.tripod.com
meets first Wednesday of every month at 7:30 PM
Location: Museum of Science and History (MOSH), Museum circle, Jacksonville, FL
Membership and Newsletter subscription form
Annual membership fee: $20.00 per year, and the membership includes:
- Electronic Monthly newsletter sent to your email address
- Free Classified’s in newsletter (members only) as well as low cost
advertisement rates.
- Annual Auction, Christmas Party, and Office Elections
- Monthly Meetings in an indoor classroom setting that consists of the
following:
- Different guest speaker each month
- Raffle Prizes
- Info about upcoming events/reptile shows/field trips/etc..
Date/Time: Meets the 2nd Saturday of every month at 7:00pm
Meeting Address: Moccasin Lake Nature Park 2750 Park Trail Ln.
Clearwater, FL 33759
Complete the form below and bring it with you to the next upcoming meeting
or mail it along with payment to:
Moccasin Lake Nature Park
c/o Tampa Bay Turtle & Tortoise Society, Inc.
2750 Park Trail Ln.
Clearwater, FL 33759
Check one:
_______ New Membership _______ Membership Renewal
Name: _________________________________________________________________________________
Address: _______________________________________________________________________________
City, State, Zipcode: ___________________________________________________________________
Email: _______________________________________ Phone#: ________________________________
NOTE: We would never sell or trade your information. This information is strictly for club use only.
Answer Key