carapaxportal - intake turtles :::

MEDITERRANEAN TURTLES

The priority of CARAPAX are of course the Mediterranean Chelonians, terrestrial, fresh water and marine species. these are inserted in breeding programmes according to the species, subspecies, origin, age and IUCN priority and released if possible or their young are released in protected areas of parks in their home land.

Procedure

Please contact us first for making an appointment by ringing to +39.0566.94.0083 between 3 pm and 7 pm

We accept these animals from April till the end of September from Monday till Saturday from 3 pm till 6 pm.

- for Italian species only 10 Euro comtribution is requested for registration at the Italian CITES authority.

-for non Italian and/or not IUCN high priority Mediterranean species we accept only animals fom persons who become sustaining member of CARAPAX (cost 50 Euro).

ATTENTION : for Testudo graeca sspp from captivity an extra 60 Euro is being requested for analysis of possible presence of deadly HERPES virus.

(Emys orbicularis)

(Testudo hermanni hermanni)

NON MEDITERRANEAN AND/OR NOT PRIORITY SPECIES

Aquatic exotic species

For exotic species not everybody realise that the tiny beautifully coloured babies become big and sometimes aggressive monsters. Most exotic freh water turtles are bred in industrial farms in the USA, in Louisiana or in China. They are transported in horrible conditions to Europe and there is a very high mortality the first year (over 90%). most people don't know how and what to feed them, how to keep it correctly etc. At the end many many thousands of these creatures are being dumped by desperated owners in rivers and ponds throughout Europe, where they are an increasing threath for our fresh water fauna (fish, amphibians, ducks, rare European pond terrapins)

CARAPAX offers an alternative for these owners by accepting these animals. But as Italian autorities do not help CARAPAX fiancially we're obliged to ask for a private contribution by becoming sustaining member of CARAPAX (50Euro).

The rescue facilities have been privately co-financed by our members, by RANA, by the AAP Foundation and the Turtle Foundation (both of Holland) and a gigantic Louisiana Lake has been sponsored by the BRITISH CHELONIA GROUP (UK)

(uno dei tanti esempi di tartarughe esotiche)

Lousiana Lake

BCG

BRITISH

CHELONIA

GROUP

European Center for Conservation of Turtles

Centro Europeo per la Salvaguardia delle Tartarughe

Rescue Facility for USA Turtles

Rettungseinrichtung fuer Schildkroeten aus der USA

Sponsored by Bristish Chelonia Group- BCG

Gesponsort von der British Chelonia Group – BCG

Since the sixties Europe has been invaded by hundreds of thousands of American red eared terrapins (Trachemys scripta elegans), coming from farms of the South of the United States of America. Since the beginning of 1997 the imports in the EU of this red eared pond slider has been forbidden, but still many of them that survived in captivity became so large that they became a real problem for the owners who needed to find more suitable conditions.

Since 2002, in Great Britain, the British Chelonia Group (BCG) launched with CARAPAX a great series of airlifts and hundreds of turtles and terrapins were braught to CARAPAX.

In 2003 BCG launched an appeal in favour of the so called “Louisiana Lake project”, why Louisiana is merely the only state of the USA that still exports American fresh water turtles. This Louisiana Lake is surrounded by a 4 meters high clay wall and is double fenced. The water (8.000 cubic meter) is from vulcanic origin and comes to the surface at 24 °C. The clay walls prevent the animals from nesting. The island with a central hole completely filled up with sand is very attractive for nesting but so dry that eggs dry out and not develop. CARAPAX avoided permanent water vegetation in order not to attract local amphibians.

With the enourmous help of BCG and his members CARAPAX could realise this rescue facility, where American fresh water turtles can live in excellent natural conditions, taking sun and having a nice swim, without disturbing of harming wild waterfowl (like f.e amphibian populations).

DEUTSCH

Seit den Sechziegerjahren werden tausende Rotwangenschildkroeten (Trachemys scripta elegans) von Farmen aus den USA nach Europa transportiert. Seit 1997 ist die Einfuhr von diesen Schildkroeten in die Europaeische Union verboten. Aber es werden dennoch viele von Privatpersonen gehalten, die Groesse stellt oftmals ein Problem fuer die Halter dar, so dass diese einen „besseren“ Platz fuer ihre Tiere suchen.

Seit 2002 bringt die British Chelonia Group (BCG) in zusammenarbeit mit CARAPAX mittels Flieger hunderte Schildkroeten in das Centrum Carapax. Im Jahre 2003 hat die British Chelonia Group ein Projekt ins Leben gerufen mir dem Namen „Louisiana Lake Projekt“. Dieser Name wurde ausgewahlt, weil der US - Staat Lousiana der Einzige ist der noch Amerikanische Frischwasserschildkroeten exportiert.Dieser See ist umgeben von einem 4 Meter hohen Wall und ist doppelt eingezaunt.Das Seewasser (ca. 8.000 Kubikmeter) ist von vulkanischen Ursprung und kommt mit der Temperatur von 24 °C an die Oberflaeche. Aufgrund der Steilheit des Walles koennen die Schildkroeten dort keine Eier ablegen. Hingegen auf der Insel in der mitte des Sees befindet sich ein Sandbecken das zwar bestens zur Eiablage geeignet ist aber so trocken, dass die Schildkroeteneier austrocknen.

Mit der enormen Hilfe der BCG und den CARAPAX Mitgliedern konnte diese Schutzeinrichtung realisiert werden.. In dieser koennen die Frischwasserschildkroeten in sehr guten Bedingungen leben. (so wie die Amphibienpopulation)