History and lost information

[jcase]

As many people involved in our community age and move on, knowledge and historical information becomes lost. I wanted to collect threads and posts of knowledge from the past.

Please do suggest posts and comments to link to, or if you have anything not written down please comment here with your story.

St Catherine's Island Survival Center, and legal importation of Radiated Tortoises by @zovick

Information on radiated tortoise confiscation in the 1970s

Looking for information on a confiscation in the 1970s. I know the animals were sent off to an island off of Georgia, and were the source of many that ended up in zoos. Just looking for the story

www.tortoiseforum.org

 

[jcase]

Robert Baudy, on his collection of Radiated Tortoises for import to the US in 1969. Some parts are outright racially insensitive, but at this point it is of historical relevance to the origin of much of the US Radiated population, so I'm leaving it as is in the quote.

https://www.felineconservation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/18-4.pdf

Significant parts regarding radiata:

In July of 1969, I conducted in Madagascar a collection trip of the local fauna practically all of which is now on the verge of extinction due mainly to man's destruction of habitat and, in some cases, direct human consumption of rare animals themselves. As I was scouting on foot the dunes of Madagascar's southermost Faux-Cap area in quest of the beautiful radiated tortoise, I reached the top of a sharp, sandy elevation. From this viewpoint I discovered that I was within 300 feet of a low, fairly old building. As I was approaching this building from the rear, I could see clearly that a colored man in a khaki shirt and shorts was carrying an object to a nearby large stack of firewood. Unaware of my approach the man reached for a hatchet and raised his right arm, evidently preparing himself to butcher some kind of live animal. I yelled and the man froze and then turned around with a suprised look on his face. As I approached the scene I discovered the following facts: the animal to be decapitated was an adult specimen of radiated tortoise, the gentleman was a local gendarme, the building was the gendarmerie itself and the large mount of what, from a distance, appeared to me origin- ally a pile of firewood was, in fact, a stack of empty carapaces of radiated tortoise, prev- iously butchered for the much appreciated soupe de tortue". At this point I would like to mention that the local gendarmerie (equivi- lant of our State Trooper) was directly in charge of the protection of the species. Graciously the gendarme-cook offered me the lucky tortoise and refused any financial offer. This animal is one of the 25 specimens which I kept in Florida until last year when I decided to transfer ownership of this world's largest captive colony of this vanishing species to the New York Zoological Society. Later on during my trip, I also discovered that owners of oriental restaurants in Tananarive periodically dispatch collectors to the south who come backto the capital with truckloads of the beautiful tortoises. In a Catholic mission where I stopped overnight, I arrived just in time to witness human consump- tion of the gentile reptile. While I was preparing the air shipment of the collected animals to the States, I was offered (at the Tananarive Airport) a significant amount of money by a person displaying oriental features and who, as I discovered later, was an employee of a large restaurant. This man was very plain about the fact that, of course the tortoises were to be used in preparation of favorite dishes. This is only one of many similar cases which I encountered while collecting in several countries in West Africa. And so there is not the slightest doubt in my mind that, at least in the countries with which I am familiar, the real protection of species is, at best, not enforced.

 

[Yvonne G]

Many years ago when sulcatas first started to make an appearance in the hobby there was a woman in Porterville, CA (Barbara Jamison) who had a mature female named Tinkerbelle. She is credited with being the mother of many sulcatas in homes st that time. I don't know how to link on the device I'm using at the moment, but a Google search for "Bob and Judy Thomas Interview Bob and Barbara Jamison" will bring up the interview at that time.

 

[jcase]

Many years ago when sulcatas first started to make an appearance in the hobby there was a woman in Porterville, CA (Barbara Jamison) who had a mature female named Tinkerbelle. She is credited with being the mother of many sulcatas in homes st that time. I don't know how to link on the device I'm using at the moment, but a Google search for "Bob and Judy Thomas Interview Bob and Barbara Jamison" will bring up the interview at that time.

Here is the link https://tortoise.org/archives/sulcint.html

 

[jeff kushner]

Historical record....

We've all had these discussions.....I collect and restore vintage motorcycles and us old guys lament the "lost knowledge" all the time......my suggestion;

Have faith in youth.....it will be just fine, what is lost will be rediscovered by another....just gotta have faith.


Super cool history that I sure wasn't aware of...and I owned exotics in the late 60's & 70's!

jeff