Transporting a tortoise in South Africa

[NatalieSahli]

Hi everyone,

I'm new here but have owned my precious Leopard tortoise - Geronimo since he hatched 16 years ago.

I do not have a permit for him and am moving from Johannesburg to Cape Town. I understand that getting a permit can be risky and as he is such a big part of my family, he has to relcate with us. Any ideas in terms of how we can safely get him to Cape Town?

I read that it may be legal if I have a tortoise for 5 years or longer - how can I prove this?

Any help will be hugely appreciated!

Thanks,
Natalie

 

[wellington]

If you have pictures of when he was little that might prove how long you had him.
Otherwise, are you driving? Who is going to be stopping you to check?

 

[Tom]

Hi everyone,

I'm new here but have owned my precious Leopard tortoise - Geronimo since he hatched 16 years ago.

I do not have a permit for him and am moving from Johannesburg to Cape Town. I understand that getting a permit can be risky and as he is such a big part of my family, he has to relcate with us. Any ideas in terms of how we can safely get him to Cape Town?

I read that it may be legal if I have a tortoise for 5 years or longer - how can I prove this?

Any help will be hugely appreciated!

Thanks,
Natalie

Nobody here knows the particulars of your RSA laws. You will have to look those up over there, and then ask local tortoise keepers how strictly those laws are enforced.

What I would caution you about is the big change in weather. The climate in Johannesburg is very different than Cape Town, and the closer to the coast you are going the worse it will be. Different advice for Hout Bay vs. Kraaifontein. I would highly suggest having a heated shelter that the tortoise is used to BEFORE you move. Respiratory illness is likely if you don't. Like this:

Single Tortoise Night Box

I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...

tortoiseforum.org

Also: Hello and welcome!

 

[jeff kushner]

We have a member who lives not far from Johannesburg....he built a house in the desert there but I haven't seen him in a while....he's one of my brothers from another Mother!

Here is his response to the exact same question in '21​

How can I get a tortoise permit in South Africa?

Hello :) I have a baby padloper tortoise, and currently I'm living in South Africa. It turns out that it is illegal to keep tortoises as pets in SA (and most people who own them doesn't even know!). Google isn't really helping much, maybe I'm just searching with the wrong terms or something...

tortoiseforum.org

Just saw your post now. Sadly it highly depends. If you are in WC you can apply at Western Cape Nature Conservation for a permit. As for the rest of SA, dit is 'n nagmerrie. Currently they can seize your tort if you apply and they can come for inspection. In Gauteng there is exeption apparently for leopard torts and Kwazulu Natal, but that isn't true.
Currently you can't even apply at a zoo for a tort or a permit even. With the chance they can come and inspect and confiscate.
So far my experience has been that you can go to vets, they don't ask for paperwork (atleast in Gauteng). I would say keep your head down and don't worry about paperwork.
How's it going with your padloper?

​

TheLastGreen​

good luck!