The Aldabra giant tortoise is endemic to the Seychelles and is one of the largest tortoises in the world. They are normally found on many of the western Indian Ocean islands including Madagascar. Many of the Indian Ocean species were thought to have been driven to extinction by overexploitation by Europeans. In this story, seven rare giant Aldara tortoises have been found in a wooded area to the north of Exeter, England, UK. Their deaths are being investigated by the police.
See update at base please – further info.
Devon and Cornwall police said that two of them were found on January 8 with a further five found nearby on Friday. They are among the world’s largest tortoises with a life expectancy of between 100-150 years.
This species of tortoise is considered to be vulnerable by the Red List. They normally live in mangrove swamps and coastal dunes.
At the time the report was written in The Times newspaper, the owners had not been traced. Once they have they will be able to hopefully establish the circumstances surrounding the animals’ deaths and it is said the disposal of their bodies.
It would seem that they’ve presumed that the animals died somewhere else and were then thrown away in the said wood.
Comment: this would imply that they were kept by an individual in a private zoo of some sort. The authorities will have to decide whether they were imported legally and whether their ownership was legal and whether their caregiving was acceptable under the relevant laws including the animal welfare act 2006.
Inspector Marc Arthurs said: “We are appealing to members of the public for information to try to establish the circumstances around this discovery and to identify those responsible. We would ask that if anyone knows anything, they get in touch. We would also like to hear from anyone who has recently purchased a giant tortoise in the area or knows of anyone who normally has a large number of tortoises but has fewer now.”
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As mentioned above, the report says that the police are investigating whether the tortoises escaped from a private collector’s home or whether they were dumped after dying or perhaps dumped while living.
There is a temperature problem. The temperature on Aldabra in the Seychelles which is home to about a hundred thousand of these tortoises ranges from 24°C to 32°C. In England the temperature for the last week and currently has been below freezing at night and just above freezing during the daytime.
The report in The Times suggest that they may have died because of the weather after being dumped. This giant tortoise can weigh up to 550 pounds (males) and the upper shell can be 4 feet long.
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Update
The Times usefully updates the story in their newspaper dated January 18, 2024. They report that the seven tortoises were worth up to £70,000. It’s believed that they were dumped by smugglers after their deaths. The Aldabra giant tortoise is classified as vulnerable by the Red List. The police have yet to identify the owners. A woman who runs and owns Tortoise Hut, Imogen Hill, who is a South Devon-based tortoise supplier confirms the value of these tortoises saying that they were worth up to £10,000 each depending upon the size.
She believes that they were dumped by smugglers. She said, “I think somebody must have smuggled them into the country, nobody would damp seven pets there. They are worth between £5,000 and £10,000 each. I am certain they were dead before they were left. Although tortoises need warm environments, it would take a healthy one a week to die in the cold so they would have spread out.”
She confirmed that she would have adopted the reptiles and she urges anybody with an unwanted tortoise to contact her or a reputable breeder.
