Endangered Elongated Tortoises Saved

A few days ago two endangered elongated tortoises (Indotestudo elongata), a female and a male were brought into the WFFT Wildlife Rescue by a concerned local who bought them from a person who found them in the forest and wanted to eat them. After a health check, they were taken to a large enclosure where can spend sometime before being released back to the wild. Sadly, this is just the tip of the iceberg, thousands of turtles and tortoises end up in cooking pots throughout Asia.

The elongated Tortoise is listed as Endangered (EN) by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, it is under extreme pressure across most of its range, largely due to it being widely harvested and sold on the Asian food markets. Disregard for international conservation laws are apparent, with the trade in tortoises brisk, highly developed, and probably ignored by many border guards, customs officials, and airline personnel. Like many other tortoise species, the elongated tortoise is also sold as part of the pet trade. It is also threatened by the habitat destruction, fragmentation and loss, that accompanies human commercial and residential expansion. This species has undergone severe population declines throughout its range. Recommended conservation measures include greater enforcement of wildlife protection laws, conservation breeding and monitored releases of tortoises, and continued research.