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Team TSA Travels Across Asia
 Team TSA left for Asia on August 13 to launch a whirlwind trip across four countries - Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines. Rick Hudson (TSA President) has been keeping us posted on the team's activities thus far so that we can share the news with you. Click on the links below to read the full updates and see more great pictures!
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Rafetus Barrier Installed!
The TSA prides itself on its ability to respond swiftly and effectively to conservation needs around the world. This was displayed once again in China, with the construction of the new glass barrier around the small Rafetus pond at the Suzhou Zoo.
The TSA Board of Directors was presented with the need for the barrier at the TSA conference in St. Louis (August 5-8). The female, the last of her kind, had been observed on numerous occasions investigating and sometimes consuming the trash that was being thrown into her pond by zoo visitors. Rather than waiting until $30,000 could be raised for a barrier around the entire exhibit, the TSA instead crafted a proposal to the Suzhou Zoo to provide $15,000 immediately to build a barrier around just the small pond as a critical first step.  Thanks to the generosity of the TSA Board - specifically Chuck Landrey, Pat Koval, Walter Sedgwick and Anders Rhodin - the funds for this first step were committed almost immediately, contingent on a proposed agreement with the Suzhou Zoo. The agreement letter was drafted in both English and Chinese and delivered to the Zoo by Dr. Kuchling in a matter of days. The terms of the proposal included an agreement by the Zoo to follow the nutrition and husbandry recommendations of Dr. Kuchling and the TSA in an effort to increase the chances of a successful clutch in 2010. We were thrilled to receive the news (and photos!) on September 3 that the barrier was complete. It is very rare that an international project of this size is able to go from an "ask" to a reality in less than one month. Thank you to everyone who made this possible!
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Animal Management
The TSA has the following animals available for placement: One captive bred (2008) Burmese Brown Tortoise, Manouria emys emys, available for adoption for a $50 fee plus shipping. 2 captive bred (2007) Yellow-headed Temple Turtles, Hieremys annandalii, available as long-term breeding loan to current TSA members. Please contact Dwight Lawson at dlawson@zooatlanta.org. |
In the News
 You may have already read the report about the first observations of Arakan forest turtles in the wild in the 2009 TSA magazine (page 65). The survey work was conducted by a team led by Steve Platt (Sul Ross State University) that included Khin Myo Myo (WCS Myanmar). The TSA partners with WCS Myanmar on many key species initiatives and we were excited to see that this news appeared on the Yahoo! home page recently. Click here to read the full story. |
