What is this tortoise?

Suranai

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someone sent me this and asked me to ID it but I have no clue... 😔
 

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wellington

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I agree on being a ploughshare. Where does your friend live? They are dangerously endangered and if s/he found it, please convince them to let it go back where it was found. If they bought it, it was illegally bought most likely, and please convince them to turn the people in it was bought from.
One if my fave with that very high dome.
 

Suranai

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I agree on being a ploughshare. Where does your friend live? They are dangerously endangered and if s/he found it, please convince them to let it go back where it was found. If they bought it, it was illegally bought most likely, and please convince them to turn the people in it was bought from.
One if my fave with that very high dome.
I managed to track down the owner. He's all the way in Indonesia. When I asked the guy, he said he has a conservation permit. Is there one for this tortoise? I can't find anything about it anywhere on the web.
 

TeamZissou

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I managed to track down the owner. He's all the way in Indonesia. When I asked the guy, he said he has a conservation permit. Is there one for this tortoise? I can't find anything about it anywhere on the web.

I believe they are illegal to keep in Indonesia, but there may indeed be permits. People have been arrested for having them though. Most of the tortoises in Asia have been trafficked there at some point, though people are starting to successfully breed them. Most, if not all of the poached tortoises end up in China and Indonesia.


There are about 25 of them in the US, mainly at the Turtle Conservancy in CA, along with others at zoos. Most of the Turtle Conservancy's yniphora were poached, sent to Asia, confiscated, taken to Kadoorie farms, and then ended up in CA where they hope to breed them. It's not possible for a regular person to keep one in general, and you definitely cannot import them. Only one at the TC in CA was imported prior to 1975, so it's not subjected to the ESA laws.

 

TaylorTortoise

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Do you mean the Latin/scientific name? If so, yes, it's Astrochelys yniphora. The only other tortoise in the Astrochelys genus is the Radiated tortoise, Astrochelys radiata.
It definitely reminds me of a radiated tortoise
 

Suranai

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I believe they are illegal to keep in Indonesia, but there may indeed be permits. People have been arrested for having them though. Most of the tortoises in Asia have been trafficked there at some point, though people are starting to successfully breed them. Most, if not all of the poached tortoises end up in China and Indonesia.


There are about 25 of them in the US, mainly at the Turtle Conservancy in CA, along with others at zoos. Most of the Turtle Conservancy's yniphora were poached, sent to Asia, confiscated, taken to Kadoorie farms, and then ended up in CA where they hope to breed them. It's not possible for a regular person to keep one in general, and you definitely cannot import them. Only one at the TC in CA was imported prior to 1975, so it's not subjected to the ESA laws.

I've been talking the guy for few days. he appeared to be very friendly. But when I ask him about the tortoise and how he got it he became annoyed and suddenly pretended to have difficulty understanding English. Now He stops replying to my text completely... very suspicious. if you want his contact and want to confront, let me know.
 

Tom

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I've been talking the guy for few days. he appeared to be very friendly. But when I ask him about the tortoise and how he got it he became annoyed and suddenly pretended to have difficulty understanding English. Now He stops replying to my text completely... very suspicious. if you want his contact and want to confront, let me know.
Why? Why bother him? Leave him be, and hopefully he will breed the heck out of them and make a whole bunch more of them.
 

Suranai

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Why? Why bother him? Leave him be, and hopefully he will breed the heck out of them and make a whole bunch more of them.
he only got one. doesn't matter how much he breed, he won't make more 😑
 

enchilada

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99% of the time people ask you about yniphora on internet, its a scam
the other 1% is a fast ticket to jail
 

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