Rescuing 10,000 Radiated Tortoises In Madagascar

On April 10, 2018, more than 10,000 critically endangered Radiated Tortoises (Astrochelys radiata) were discovered in Toliara, Madagascar, and confiscated by local police. The tortoises were moved to a nearby facility in Ifaty called Village des Tortues, a private tortoise facility run by the French organization SOPTOM. It was here that the arduous process of treating and caring for the tortoises began by local Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) Malagasy staff. Following this confiscation, TSA began organizing an international response effort in partnership with the Directeur Regional de l’Environment, de ‘Ecologie et des Forets (DREEF). On April 23rd, the first team of veterinarians, veterinary technicians, husbandry specialists, pathologists, and communications specialists arrived at Ifaty and continued the critical work required to care for the 10,000 tortoises.

Meeting The Need For Tortoise Veterinary Exams
I was sent by Shedd Aquarium’s Animal Response Team and arrived with the second wave of volunteers on May 4th. Once in Ifaty, I worked with other members of the veterinary team in SOPTOM’s clinic. Every day we evaluated new tortoise cases presented to the clinic and administered prescribed treatments to hospitalized patients. Ill tortoises were housed outdoors in sick pens or more critical cases were housed indoors in a temporary intensive care unit (ICU). Upon physical examination, we evaluated the tortoise’s eyes, mouth, skin, and shell for signs of infection and assessed its demeanor and body condition. The biggest issue we faced was poor body condition; tortoises that died had zero fat stores and felt like empty shells when you picked them up. Medically, we mainly encountered mouth infections, weakness, lack of appetite, eye injuries, and some shell damage. With limited diagnostic capabilities in the field, we were unable to identify a cause of the mouth infections.

Delivering Nutritional Support, Antibiotic Therapies, And Other Treatments

EmerAid, a division of Lafeber Company, graciously donated several containers of EmerAid Intensive Care Herbivore to TSA. This product proved invaluable when we needed to supplement thin and weak tortoises with oral nutrition. Several of the tortoises affected by the mouth infections were also unwilling or unable to eat. We would supplement these tortoises as well by gavage feeding the EmerAid Intensive Care Herbivore until they showed interest in leafy greens and began eating on their own again. In addition to the nutritional support, sick tortoises were treated with antibiotic therapies and individuals with mouth lesions were debrided and given an injection of pain medications (anti-inflammatories). By meeting the nutritional, health, and husbandry needs of the tortoises, we were able to keep mortalities to a minimum (10% for the entire operation).

Looking To The Future Of These Radiated Tortoises
Recently, the 8,900 remaining tortoises were moved to a newly built TSA facility in Itampolo, Madagascar. The tortoises will continue to be monitored by local TSA Malagasy veterinary and husbandry staff to make sure they have enough energy/fat stores to last through the lean winter months. Once again, the EmerAid Intensive Care Herbivore diet may prove useful for tortoise cases that require critical nutritional support. The tortoises will be housed in Itampolo until they have completed a quarantine period and regained their lost fat reserves. It is TSA’s goal to eventually release and reestablish this group of critically endangered tortoises to protected wild reserves in Madagascar. Thanks again to DREEF, SOPTOM, the Malagasy Government, the U.S. Embassy, and all the zoological institutions, charitable organizations, NGOs, private donors, and the Lafeber company for helping make this unprecedented, monumental Radiated Tortoise relief effort a success.

This story has been shared by Dr. Matt O’Connor, Staff Veterinarian, Shedd Aquarium.