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Tortoise Reserve sanctioned Sanctuary.

Testudo International is proud to be a Tortoise Reserve sanctioned Sanctuary.
Greetings to all Pet Keepers and Animal Rescue Organizations,

During the past few years, we have developed a Tortoise Sanctuary here in the Midwest. We have designed it primarily for Russian, Hermanns and Ibera Greeks, species commonly referred to as Mediterranean Tortoises.

Since these animals can never be returned to their native environment, we have constructed pens and greenhouses, with enough pastures for several hundred Mediterranean Tortoises to live out their days, here on the Iowa Prairie... after their tour of duty in the pet trade is over.

Each year 20,000 or more adult wild caught Russian tortoises are imported into the US, 5-20% die in transit, many more die in pet shops, and the survivors are often purchased by people who have little knowledge of a Tortoise’s requirements. Each year large numbers are given up for adoption or resold. Many of these Tortoises are shuffled about, sold on Craigslist, given to reptile rescue centers, and sometimes just turned loose. At this time there is no existing program set in place to provide permanent homes for these Tortoises here in the USA, and individual animals are often transferred from one foster home to another as their health continues to decline.

Out of all the Tortoise species I have here and have kept here in the past 30 some years, the Russian, Hermanns and Ibera Greek Tortoises seem perfectly adapted for life on the mid western Prairie. No doubt the food and water resources here are more plentiful than in the native environment of the Russian Tortoise.
I suspect that some day regulations will shut down the trade in wild caught Russian Tortoises, as they have for the Hermanns and Ibera Greeks, but currently I continue to see so many for sale on the Internet and in local and national chain pet shops. We built this facility so that these wild caught Tortoises can get siphoned out of the pet trade and Tortoise orphanages, and settle in here, to live as normal a life as possible.


I started the idea with ten of them and worked out the kinks. Then 25 of them and then 50 etc etc. The nice thing about Iowa is that the natural vegetation grows at such a rapid rate during their feeding season that one acre of good pasture land produces enough clover, dandelion, wild lettuce, wildflowers etc to feed 1,000 adult Mediterranean Tortoises. So I can feed them all at no cost, except for Calcium supplement like Cuttle bone, and with our average rain cycle, the water basins fill up regularly so fresh water is always available. Their natural annual cycle in the wild, fits Iowa's climate nicely and our natural ground temp of 42F is also perfect for hibernation. Another upside to Iowa is that the eggs can't hatch naturally in the ground, as there is too much moisture in the soil for them to incubate successfully. This solves the problem of what to do with hatchlings, because there are no hatchlings, unless I dig up eggs and incubate them indoors.

So I am spreading the word to Animal and Tortoise rescue clubs that Testudo International is ready to accept Russian, Hermanns and Ibera Greek Tortoises and give them a home for life. My policy is to never sell them or re home them unless they would go to a Keeper with aqaquate outdoor facilities. It's such a shame to see these wild caught Tortoises clunking around in a glass tank, just trying to get back home.

Testudo International is proud to be a Tortoise Reserve sanctioned Sanctuary. The Tortoise Reserve is operated by David Lee, he can be contacted for References at the following link.

http://www.tortoisereserve.org/

If your Organization has Russian, Hermanns or Ibera Greeks that need a permanent home, please email me at....

testudointernational@yahoo.com

WEBSITE: http://www.testudointernational.com/

And we can arrange transportation. Testudo International will pay the shipping fees for Tortoises donated by Animal shelters and rescue centers.

Thank you,

Lynn DeVries
Testudo International