International team rescues critically endangered terrapin

Every now and again, the MCSS Research Officer gets called out to deal with a turtle rescue … in this case, a terrapin!

“J.Lo”, the first known record of a Yellow-Bellied Mud Turtle in the Plantation Wetland, photo Elke Talma.

“J.Lo” was found by Jan Van Wijk, a South African, wandering on the road near Plantation Club along the West coast of Mahe. He phoned Leo Hoevers, a Dutchman, who runs a dive centre at Anse La Mouche. Leo called Glynis Sanders, a Scot who is married to David, a Welshman who is the Chairman of MCSS. Glynis called Elke, a Seychellois who then rushed over to investigate.

Not being a terrapin expert, Elke took the animal back to the MCSS office and spent some time on the internet trying to ID the Species. “J.Lo”, named after her rescuers (J for Jan and Lo for Leo), is a Seychelles Yellow-Bellied Mud Turtle (Pelusios castanoides intergularis) a sub species of P. castanoides which is found on mainland Africa ranging from Kenya to the north eastern Republic South Africa. The species which is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN 2008 Red List, is restricted to 6 islands of the Seychelles group, with 4 breeding populations remaining.

In 2005, it was estimated that there were only 120 adults in the wild and legal protection of wetland habitats is urgently required as populations continue to decline due to ongoing marsh drainage and river canalization.

ID chart for Seychelles endemic terrapins, Mortimer and Bour (2002)

After confirming the species ID with terrapin expert, Justin Gerlach from the Nature Protection Trust, Seychelles, the next step was to decided what to do with “J.Lo”. Should she be released back in the Plantation Club wetland, where a tourism development is scheduled to begin shortly or should she be relocated to the Intendance wetland which is being managed and protected by Banyan Tree Resort, Seychelles?

Banyan Tree Wetland, a safe haven for terrapins, photo Elke Talma.

With an estimated population of only 120 animals, the choice was easy. Staff at Banyan Tree who are familiar with terrapin husbandry, are working on a quarantine area for “J.Lo” but in the mean time she is chilling in Elke’s bathtub and developing a fetish for broccoli and banana’s, having turned her nose up at the snails Elke found in her garden.