Virsinia Herpetolo/ical SocieQ Volume 4,Number 1 January1994 NEWSTETTER CATESBEIANACO-EDITORS PRESIDENT PaulW. Sattler RonSouthwick R. TerrySpohn PaulSattler - Pres.Elect NEWSLETTEREDITOR SECRETARY/TREASURER Sue Bruenderman Layout by Toni Harrison Bob Hogan "Most of the world's tortoisesand and freshwaterturtles constitute many freshwaterturtles have sourcesof protein for indigenous declinedprecipitously because of ln July, f 993, the International people, their uncontrolled (r- i-ruiiianL----^- aCiivites.^^3:--:.^- Joiiie are i-reaf Conference on Conservation, expioitation for such use jeopardizes extinction. This alarming situation Restoration, and Management of the survival of many is symptomatic of the overall species. Tortoises and Turtles was held in decline in global environmental We, the conferencedelegates, Purchase,New York. A declaration, health. Conservationefforts to supportthe following measures:(1) curb further lossesof theseanc authored by VHS Past-President the protection of natural habitats other specieswith which they live JosephC. Mitchell and others, was harboring turtles and tortoises and must work in concert with controls adopted by the conferenceand is the organismswith which they on the fundamental causesof reprinted here.Applause toJoe and interact, (2) aban on the wholesale environmental degradation, his co-authorsfor this insightfuland removal of animals from wild namely, economic inequities and populations for the wildlife trade, important action in turtle an ever growing human (3) the developmentof educational consenration. population. and community participation We recognize that there is no one programs to engenderpublic recipe for nature conservation. support for biodiversity Specificmeasures, such as ecosystemswere resolved.Most conservation,and (4) the sharing of ecosystemmanagement, reports, however, demonstrated expertiseand technological conservationof flagship species, that population declinesand threats advancesinconservation among the and speciesby speciesprotection, of speciesextinction were due to peopleof all nations.It is must fit local circumstances.The habitat loss and alteration. imperative that thesemeasures be successstories told at this Removal of animals from wild implemented on a worldwide basis conferencewere those that populations for the wildlife trade and integratedwith efforts to describedthe protection of habitats were shown to further endangere conserveglobal biodiversity". and landscapes,and how conflicts many of theseanimals. While betweenpeople and natural recognizing the fact that tortoises 2 VA HERPETOLOGICALSOCIETY NEWSLETTER Ambhibians Are Yorr Eastemtiger salamander, Ambystoma tiginum fignnum (SE) Barkingtreefrog, Hyla gratiosa (ST) Mabee'ssalamander, Ambystoma mabeei (ST) Farnilian with Shenandoahsalamand er, P lethodon she n ando ah (FE) Carpenterfo g, Ranavirgatipes (SSC) Yi{lnla's Rar(e Oaktoad, Bufo quercicus (SSC) CowKnob salamander, Plethodon punctatus (SSC, C2) Herps? Eastemhef lbender, Cryptobrcnch us alleghenienv.s (SSC, C2) Molesafamander, Ambystoma talpoideum (SSC) Peaksof Ottersalamander, Plethodon hubichti(SSC) Pigmysalamander, Desmogn ath us wrighti(SSC, C2) ShovelnoseSalamande r, Le u rog n ath u s marmorcfus (SSC) SE: StateEndangered Welle/ssalamander, Plethodon wellei ventrom aculafus (SSC) ST: StateThreatened FE: FederalEndangered Reptiles FC : FederalCandidate (C2) SSC: State Special Concerned Bogturtfe, Clemmys muhlenbergii(SE, C2) North.diamondback tenapin, M al ad e my s tempinte mpi n (C2) Eastemglass l2ard, Ophisaurus venfrafs (ST) Canebrakerattlesnake, Crctalus honidus afncaudafus (SE) Mountainearth snake, Virginia valeiae pulchn (SSC) North.pine snake, Lampropeftis calligaster rhombomaculata (C2) Endangered - any speciesin dangerof Bogturtle, Clemmys muhlenbergii (SE) extinctionthroughout all or a significant Eastemchicken turile, Deirochelys reticulaia rcticulaia (SE) portionof its range Woodturtle, Clemmy rhsculpfa (ST) Atlanticgreen sea turtle, Chelonia mydas mydas (Ff) Threatened - any specieswhich is likely Hawksbillsea turtle, Eretmochelys imbicata (FE) to becomean endangeredspecies within Kemp'sRidley sea turtle, Lepidochelys kempi (FE) the foreseeablefuture throughout all or a Leatherbacksea turtle, Derm*helys miaea coiacea(FE) significantportion of its range Loggerheadsea turtle, Carctta carcfta carefta (Ff) Federal Candidate (C2) - taxafor whichinformation now in the possessionof the U.S.Fish and WildlifeService (USFWS) proposing Nofe: Federal E&T species indicatesthat to list as endangeredor threatenedis possibly (listedby the USFWS) are appropriate,but for whichconclusive data protected throughout their on biologicalvulnerability and threatare entire range, acrossall not currentlyavailable to supportproposed political (i. e. state)boundaries. rules. StateE&T speciesare afforded protection throughout their ranges only within the Special Concern - any species,on a list Commonw ealth of V ir ginia. maintainedby the director,which is restrictedin distribution,uncommon, ecologicallyspecialized or threatenedby otherimminent factors. VA HERPETOLOGICALSOCIETY NEWSLETTER 3 The Decline of lYorth American Box Turtles by Clffird Warwick, Consultant Herpetologist, ThePeople's Trustfor EndangeredSpecies (reprintedfrom Animak Internationsl, newsletter of the l{orld Societyfor the Protection of Animals, Summer/Autumn 1987) The Growth of the Terrapin Trade severalpopulation of wild box turtles. Box turtles face severalunnatural In 1984,the tradein Last year, two speciesbecame protected in the wild. Habitat is claimed by a Mediterranean threats in Florida and from the first year of July wide range of land-developmentprojects. tortoisesfor the pet this year, all commercial trade in box There is also persecution from farmers who tradewas bannedon conservationgrounds. turtles has been prohibited by Florida regard them as pests becausethey However,a new trade authorities. Missouri also provides occasionally feed on plantations. in chelonians(tortoises protection for its box turtles against However, box turtles are probably more an and turtles)has commercialization. problem; assetthan a begin omnivorous developedto fill the A major factor which led to the feeders,they will also feed on agricultural demandfor thistype of popularization of thesereptiles by pestssuch as Many arekilled on exoticpet. Boxturtles snails. tradersin Europe was the casualuse of roads,not always by accident. Another from NorthAmerica are the word "tortoise". Although this can very avoidablepressure which contributes be a convenient was to describethese is the pet trade. to the decline of box turtles chelonians,there are severaireasons 1984ban on the IIO,OOO roltolfEt Prior to the why it is inappropriateto refer to them Mediterraneantortoise market, the wElS tftolt:D lxto as "box tortoises". only occasionally Terrapenespecies was rtr: Urrro ltrooon The generic term, Terrapene,for pet However,they ouilt|o tHE tll|oD seenat British dealers. example, indicates the family's favorites in were already long-standing r?fo-3t. relationship with terrapins rather than rather than in American as a cofilmon "pet" tortoises. Box hrrtles are relatively According specialistchelonian collections. good swimmers, though far less to the records kept under the Convention moreakin to their efficient than the typical terrapins. in Endangered in on International Trade tortoiserelatives that They can, however, drown if land is not (C.I.T.E.S.),for example,10,000 they leada lessaquatic Species easily available or if in deep water for Mediterraneantortoises were imported into life than mostturtles. with a strong current. The term "turtle" the United Statesduring the period 1980- The increasingdemand for reptilesfor in the United Statescan apply to any 84. By comparison,150,000 tortoises were these the pet trade in both chelonian, tortoises included, as indeed imported into the United Kingdom over the Americaand Europeis of it does in the U.K. However, the term sameperiod. concernto WSPA. "tortoise" is reservedfor the true land- In 1981,the year in which the Britishherpetologist dwelling speciesand subsequently,box tortoise ban becameimminent, otiy 22 CliffordWarwick has turtles do not receive this recognition. specimensof Terrapeneare said to have investigating been this (Note: the term "terrapin" in England is beenimported into the British Isles. From new trade and describes commonly used to refer to a freshwater January1986 to March 1986,however, a belowthe plight of the aquatic turtle). minimum of 3,959 specimenshad been boxturtle in a reportfor imported into the U.K. The European the readersof Animals lnternational. Hunters and Collectors market also reported an upward trend. Almost without exception, box The increasearises at a time of turtles are collected straight from the deepconcern in America over the statusof 4 VA HERPETOLOGICALSOCIETY NEWSLETTER wild to supply the national and international markets. discoveredcontaining more three-toedturtles left over Although in some statesthis is illegal, dealerscan still from anotherconsignment. Thesewere grouped trade,provided that the turtles are caught outside of togetherunderneath a piece of wood to avoid the heat. stateoffering protection. Many people who want For thesethere was a bowl of water away from the "pet" box turtles collect them from the wild. There are inadequateshade. There was no food whatsoever. also professional turtle hunters who, apart from In addition to the two bins and corral that we catching their own turtles, alrange