Conservation Partnership

Turtle Survival Alliance

The Zoo has been supporting the work of the Turtle Survival Alliance in recent years, which has been one of our consistent high-priority conservation partners.

The Turtle Survival Alliance supports a wide variety of field conservation projects around the world as well as having recently created the Turtle Survival Center, a highly specialized research and breeding facility for some of the world’s most endangered species of turtles and tortoises. The center has produced a variety of housing situations for different species (aquatic, semi-aquatic and terrestrial) from different climates with great success. The living collection there is thriving and starting to show important breeding successes.

Having supported the work of the Turtle Survival Alliance for several years, I took the opportunity of having some free time during the weekend to visit the Turtle Survival Center and see some of the amazing progress they have made in recent years. The Center has been growing consistently and many AZA members have sent groups of volunteers down to help expand the facilities and programs at the center.

We hope that in the near future we can increase our collaboration with the center and give some of our staff and volunteers more opportunities to support the important work being done at the center. Check back in the future for further news about our collaboration with this conservation partner organization.

Roger Sweeney, Assistant Director, Virginia Zoo