TSA Magazine Archives
Download back issues of Turtle Survival, the TSA's annual publication, below. Members receive the full-color magazine each year, as a benefit of their membership in the TSA. To purchase print copies of back issues, visit our STORE!DONATE HERE
Turtle Survival
A publicAtion of the turtle SurvivAl AlliAnce
2012
Excitement continues to build for the TSA's
planned Turtle Survival Center (TSC) in South
Carolina, an ambitious undertaking that will "get
us back to our roots." The TSA was organized
with the goal of managing captive breeding popu-
lations in response to Asia's rapidly worsening
turtle crisis, and since 2001 this has been at the
core of our mission. Over the years our strategy for
developing assurance colonies has evolved, with
the emphasis on some programs shifting overseas
to help build community involvement, simplify
logistics and take advantage of local expertise.
However, for U.S. based programs, we have
struggled with the complexity of using a diffuse
membership to manage populations for us, which
has been, at best, an imperfect situation. Lacking
a home base facility, the TSA has been unable to
effectively demonstrate how a true assurance
colony functions. The new South Carolina facility
will finally give us that special place to call home,
a place where we can consolidate captive holdings
and concentrate our activities. We envision a hub
for turtle conservation work including interna-
tional training programs, workshops, collabora-
tive research projects and, most importantly,
opportunities for TSA member involvement.
For many years we have recognized the need
for a specialized facility and we have considered
various properties in the southeastern U.S. Until
now, all of the potential sites have lacked the
infrastructure for a world-class turtle conserva-
tion operation. When Dr. Sam Seashole presented
us with the opportunity to buy his property in
October 2011, we immediately recognized that
this site, with its incredible veterinary infrastruc-
ture, was the perfect choice for a turtle breeding
center. Despite tough financial times, the TSC
was something that we had to do. Armed with an
initial $50,000 challenge grant from long-time
TSA supporter Dr. Ab Abercrombie, we began try-
ing to raise funds. Stru