Care for the Wild International

[Geomyda]

Originally Posted by EJ

As pointed out by the paper article I attached... how would you propose a population census be taken in the case of Softshells... they occur in almost every body of water in the southern US with ranges extending into the Western states where unwanted pets a being released. How do you control something that you have no idea as to the numbers.

Perhaps, your post should have been in the past tense!
I guess the counter signatories to the presentation , who represent the most learned and scholarly Herpetologists in the world today, but what the hell do they know?
EJ, you do at times amaze me with your statements!!

[EJ]

They too have an agenda and I applaud them to persue that agenda... does that mean they are right?

I'm I to assume they know what they are talking about and follow them blindly?

My very basic question does have to be answered. I don't know where there is any study mentioned to support the idea for this organizations actions... What is not acceptable is the #s exported without the #s to support what is being removed from... it's kind of half the story.

Originally Posted by Geomyda

Perhaps, your post should have been in the past tense!
I guess the counter signatories to the presentation , who represent the most learned and scholarly Herpetologists in the world today, but what the hell do they know?
EJ, you do at times amaze me with your statements!!

[Geomyda]

Originally Posted by EJ

They too have an agenda and I applaud them to persue that agenda... does that mean they are right?

I'm I to assume they know what they are talking about and follow them blindly?

My very basic question does have to be answered. I don't know where there is any study mentioned to support the idea for this organizations actions... What is not acceptable is the #s exported without the #s to support what is being removed from... it's kind of half the story.

Why don't you ask them?
Their opinion's certainly have won the backing of the State Govenor of Florida!
As for blindly following, I do not think anyone would accuse you of that.

[EJ]

No point... really.

Originally Posted by Geomyda

Why don't you ask them?
Their opinion's certainly have won the backing of the State Govenor of Florida!
As for blindly following, I do not think anyone would accuse you of that.

[Geomyda]

Posted in yesterday's edition of The Sun:

A TURTLE bit and broke a chef’s toe as it tried to escape the cooking pot.
The 2ft creature wriggled from the cook’s grip as it was lowered into a vat of boiling water.


It then munched one of his little toes as he tried to scoop it up from the kitchen floor.

The 35-year-old chef, wearing slippers, was taken to hospital in agony.


The turtle, due to be a delicacy for wealthy diners at Hong Kong’s Kuen Fat restaurant, was chased and caught.


And despite its reprieve it will be served at a banquet tomorrow.

At the size stated, this is not a Farmed Chinese Softshell turtle 2ft is just too big!!!
It may however, be a Wild caught Florida Soft shell Turtle??

[Geomyda]

Is this a good omen?
http://www.foxnews. com/story/ 0,2933,457868, 00.html

[sandy]

Sorry Paul the link does not work for me

[Geomyda]

Originally Posted by sandy

Sorry Paul the link does not work for me

SON TAY, Vietnam — A rare East Asian turtle, one of just four believed left in the world, was swept away by a flood, taken hostage by an enterprising fisherman and nearly ended up in a soup pot.

Instead, the 150-pound animal returned to its lake Wednesday and conservationists celebrated their deal with the fisherman — the turtle's freedom in exchange for about $200 and two new fishing nets.

Douglas Hendrie and other conservationists had been trying to find the turtle for two weeks after floods washed the animal out of Dong Mo Lake near Hanoi.

"Thank god it's over," said Hendrie, director of the Asian Turtle Program at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo who also works with the conservation group, Education for Nature Vietnam. "We're happy that the turtle is back in the lake."

• Click here for more photos of the world's rarest turtle.

• Click here to visit FOXNews.com's Natural Science Center.

Only three other members of the rafetus swinhoei species, also known as Swinhoe's soft-shelled turtle or the Yangtze soft-shelled turtle, are known to exist.

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The World's Rarest Turtle Two are in Chinese zoos and another lives in Ho Hoan Kiem, a lake in downtown Hanoi named for its association with a legendary turtle.

Both Vietnamese turtles are male. An attempt earlier this year to mate the Chinese male, 100, with the sole surviving female, 80, was deemed unsuccessful when the resulting eggs failed to hatch.

According to legend, a magic turtle snatched a sword from the Vietnamese King Le Loi as he boated on the lake and returned it to the gods who had lent it to the king to help him defeat Chinese invaders.

The lake has since been called Ho Hoan Kiem, or the Lake of the Returned Sword.

Fisherman Nguyen Van Toan found the turtle early Wednesday and demanded $1,400 in exchange for its release, arguing that a Hanoi restaurant owner had offered him 30 million Vietnamese dong ($4,800) for the animal.

Turtles are considered a delicacy in Vietnam and other Asian countries.

Toan argued with authorities and conservationists for hours, occasionally picking up a stick to threaten the crowd of about 100 onlookers that gathered in his yard to watch the drama. He finally agreed to accept cash and new nets to replace the ones he ruined capturing the turtle.

"It's a small reward for people who realized that it's important to protect one of the most endangered species in the world," said Nguyen Thi Van Anh, a colleague of Hendrie's from Education for Nature.

Toan said he was satisfied with the outcome.

"I'm very happy the turtle is returning to nature," he said.

[EJ]

I guess I'll throw in my 2 pence...

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/..._U1RwD94MN01O0

I also thought you all might find this interesting... Because of the politics involved this incedent is something that does not do the project well...

The people involved with this lake Rafetus are Doug Hendrie, Tim McCormack and others of the Asian Turtle Conservation Network. Doug used to be WCS’ turtle coordinator. The Chinese breeding program is orchestrated by WCS China. The Chinese Rafetus field survey team works out of CI China, with my support. We all know each other, talk, email and workshop together, coordinate together. All as quietly as possible, so that we avoid attention and the kind of mayhem that unfortunately happened yesterday.

For years the Hanoi city government has been trying to get more turtles to put into Hoan Kiem ‘lake’ (which would condemn them, as Rick pointed out, either getting killed or wasting away in the tank), and the survival of this animal depended on getting conservation in effect before rumors and money started flying. The recent floods in northern VN unfortunately resulted in this.

[sandy]

Thankyou Paul.

I suppose turtle ignorant keepers like me, dont appreciate that river turtles are as rare as they are