Endangered Species
at RACR
“We all have a responsibility to protect endangered species, both for their sake and for the sake of our own future generations.”
The Reptile & Amphibian Center is committed to the conservation of wildlife.
Whenever we receive an animal with a conservation status that indicates the species is in decline, we make every effort to transfer them to an organization working to conserve that species.
In 2022 alone, we rescued 6 individual endangered animals from poor living conditions, including:
2 Spiny Turtles
1 Desert Tortoise
2 Blanding’s Turtles
1 Malayan Box Turtle
Every single one of these rescues came into our care with various levels of nutritional imbalance from poor husbandry.
We are proud to partner with an AZA-accredited zoo in order to find these turtles a forever home.
In November 2022, we found the two spiny turtles a forever home with the Dallas Zoo.
Following the Dallas Zoo’s instructions, we packed up the turtles and sent them off.
We prioritize in-state conservation programs, but sometimes rescues cross state lines when absolutely necessary. Seeing the packing process naturally raises questions such as, “How can they breathe?” and “How do you regulate their temperatures in transit?” Read on to learn more. (Please note that this is not a tutorial!)
The turtles were placed into pillowcase-like bags, which are air permeable. The bags are zip-tied closed for the safety of the turtles in transit.
The turtle-bags were then placed into a styrofoam box to insulate them, with a cardboard divider between the turtles. This, too, is air permeable. We poked holes into the styrofoam for good measure.
A reptile-specific heat pack (which stays warm for 40 hours) was taped to the lid of the styrofoam box in order to radiate heat throughout the package. These types of heat packs don’t get excessively hot like commonly used hand warmers do.
The styrofoam box was placed into the cardboard shipping box (again, air permeable!), which was labeled “Live Harmless Reptiles.”
Off they went to the Dallas Zoo! We kept a close eye on the tracking information to ensure that their journey was made in the promised 24 hour window, and all went as smoothly as possible.
We are always looking to make connections with conservation and animal education groups in the United States. If this is you and you are looking to collaborate, Contact Us!
Please enjoy these photos of the threatened & endangered animals we’ve rescued.
