 The future of turtles and tortoises that have graced our planet for millions of years is more at risk today than ever before. Already, 61 percent of turtles and tortoise species are extinct or in danger of extinction. As founder of American Tortoise Rescue and World Turtle Day®, I've been devoted to protecting and advocating for these magnificent creatures for decades. We, along with our fellow sanctuaries, are sounding an alarm internationally, and we need your help.
Picture this: the landscapes we know today, the ecosystems where turtles and tortoises thrive, are facing unprecedented challenges. Climate change is altering turtle habitats at an alarming pace. Rising temperatures and erratic weather patterns disrupt nesting and feeding grounds affecting their survival and breeding cycles. Destructive practices and habitat loss due to urbanization, pollution, and deforestation are pushing our shelled friends to the brink, threatening their existence. The cruel pet trade, fueled by ignorance and greed, is driving species to the brink of extinction. After surviving an asteroid that few other species did millions of years ago, we must fight for those without a voice. Let’s use our passion and compassion to protect turtles and tortoises before it is too late. Here's how you can make a difference and ensure turtles and tortoises don't become extinct as experts predict by 2050:
Join with me before it is too late. I need your help. Susan Tellem Founder, American Tortoise Rescue  Read this to help your baby water turtle live a healthy and happy life. They should not be purchased as it is illegal to sell them anywhere in the states if they are under four inches. You cannot give them away as prizes either.
Baby Water Turtle Care Water turtles can live 50 or more years if treated properly and eventually moved to an o outdoor pond. Read this to help your baby water turtle live a healthy and happy life.
 Last night when I went to put the turtles away, I saw that Popcorn the 125 lb Sulcata had not eaten his breakfast, which is very odd. I looked in his house and saw that he was almost invisible and was below the level of the dirt.
The house is 12 feet long, so I could not get in there without suiting up. I was scared that he was digging a tunnel underground or that he was dead or upside down. I prayed to St. Francis and St. Anthony that things would be OK. This morning I put on long sleeves and gloves, tied my pants legs closed at the ankle, put on a shower cap and grabbed my wide snow shovel. He was alive, and so I gave him a banana to keep him busy far away in his enclosure. They are not allowed to eat fruit so this was a big deal. I crawled and tried to refill the depression but realized the dirt was as hard as a rock, so I think the 6 months of heavy rain turned that area to mud and now it has hardened. Thank goodness as digging "burrows" is a no no for tortoises. They can collapse on them or they can actually dig so far that they go under a neighbor's house or worse. All's well but this was a good reminder of what it takes, caring for a tortoise! Be prepared to sacrifice yourself for your turtle or tortoise if there is a problem. - Susan, American Tortoise Rescue, 2023  Malibu, CA – July 17, 2023 – American Tortoise Rescue (ATR), the first national turtle and tortoise rescue, is sending a plea to parents – buy toys, not turtles. Seth Rogen, a producer on the film, saw the first Ninja movie as a youngster in 1990, the same year ATR was founded, and is expected to draw more crowds than in the past.
History shows that after the release of a series of these successful Ninja movies, turtles lose their lives through the pet trade. Most of the turtles have been scooped out of the wild to be sold in pet stores or over the internet. After seeing the film and thinking real turtles jump through the air or fly like Ninja turtles, kids ask parents to buy live turtles. Sadly, after bringing the turtle home, sticking it in a small tank and waiting for it to perform, kids abandon interest when nothing happens – the turtle just sits there. The best thing parents can do is purchase action figure toys that actually mimic the ninja movements from the film. “I like to say putting a turtle in a tank is how we would feel if we had to live in a bathtub all our lives,” said Susan Tellem, co-founder and executive director of ATR. “After the successful release of previous Ninja films, turtles, most commonly the red eared slider or box turtle, were purchased by the thousands for children who wanted their own Ninja turtle. The purchase is often an impulse buy without regard to the fact that turtles can live 25 years or more. Sadly, most of these turtles were abandoned in shelters and rescues or dumped into lakes and waterways (or worse toilets) after the movie’s young fans found out that the real turtles did not fight crime or perform incredible stunts.” Tellem says that this proved disastrous for thousands of turtles. “Red eared sliders easily identifiable because of the red stripe next to their eyes, are the most common turtles given up for adoption,” she said. “We recommend only adopting these turtles to people with private ponds where they can mimic their natural habitat. We, along with many rescues, have to turn away hundreds turtles annually because we are at capacity. Unfortunately, no one tells the potential owner that these turtles live long lives instead of staying a cute little quarter or palm size,” Tellem said. For more information, contact Susan Tellem at [email protected]. Follow on twitter @tortoiserescue and on Facebook at AmericanTortoiseRescue. Suggested tweet: Buy #TMNT toys not live turtles for kids. Honoring Our “Senior Class”: Squish, Bunkle, Spinner, Queenie and Fluffy, Featured on New Shirt!8/4/2022
  August 2, 2022 - Malibu, CA - American Tortoise Rescue launches “Senior Class,” a fundraiser honoring the sanctuary’s oldest residents and benefitting the turtles and tortoises at the nonprofit rescue. Squish, Bunkle, Spinner, Queenie and Fluffy are featured on the new shirts and totes at https://www.bonfire.com/store/american-tortoise-rescue/ Since 1990, more than 4,000 turtles and tortoises have passed through the gates at American Tortoise Rescue’s sanctuary in Malibu, CA. Some were lost, some were no longer wanted by their owners and some were being smuggled on their way to other countries. Each one has a story…some happy, some sad and some Susan Tellem and Marshall Thompson, the co-founders, will never know. They come in many sizes, colors, shapes and personalities. Some are funny and some like to hide. Some love worms and others like to eat strawberries. Some live in a pond, but most live on land. Squish – An Eastern Box Turtle, he came to the rescue with a caved in waist formed by a plastic ring around canned drinks that someone carelessly tossed on the ground. He lives normally on the easy coast, but came to us many years ago, and we removed the ring, letting his growth pattern be normal. Now 30 years later, there is only a small concave part on one side where it used to be! Bunkle - Bunkle, an Eastern box turtle, was the first land turtle to arrive at American Tortoise Rescue in 1990. The sanctuary received a call from someone who had found him wandering in the street in a nearby town. He immediately took over as king of the shelter, bossing every new turtle that comes in. His strong presence and constant patrolling of the sanctuary earned him the title of “mascot” which he holds 32 years later.  Spinner - Spinner is an old three toed box turtle, one of many millions taken out of the wild with cruel hooks to feed an insatiable pet trade. Spinner is a special needs turtle who got her name because she constantly turns in one direction due to a spinal injury from either a car or a human that left her unable to move her arms and legs properly. She’s part of a population of about 100 unadoptable turtles with special needs at the sanctuary special needs hospital where she has spent 20+ years, and lives with other special needs turtles who need daily supervision.  Queenie - An Asian box turtle, Queenie is one of many exported out of Asia in bulk to feed a growing pet trade, as well as an appetite for food or medicinal aids. Queenie suffers from many deformities as a result of poor care from her former owner, including a misshapen jaw and overgrown shell (note the thick deformed carapace). She joined a population of about 25 Asians at ATR, most of which suffer from similar problems. These turtles are shy and gentle creatures who just want to be wild, so they have free run of the sanctuary where they eat, hide and sleep safely.  Fluffy - Fluffy is a Cooter, a water turtle from the Midwest area, but probably dumped in the L.A. River when no one wanted her anymore. She was our first water turtle adopted in 1994 from a boy in a pet store who had her in his backpack. She was an adult back then, so she has to be at least 35 to 50 years old. She is the queen of the pond hanging out sunning herself all summer. Several years after getting Fluffy, we adopted another Cooter named Einstein (a girl) from a skittish mom-to-be. They live together in a pond at American Tortoise Rescue.
Want to know more about the sanctuary? Take a tour here: http://bit.ly/1buBtcD. Or email us at [email protected]. Inspired to make a donation? Visit www.tortoise.com/give. We have a store! Join us on social media: Facebook - Instagram - Twitter - YouTube |
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