Thursday 3rd May 2018
More than a hundred common tortoises are released on the Galatzó public estate
These specimens have been recovered by the Wildlife Recovery Consortium of the Balearic Islands
Press release from the Ministry of Environment, Agriculture and Fisheries
In Mallorca there are two species of autochthonous terrestrial tortoises that live on the island. One is the Mediterranean turtle (Testudo hermanni), more abundant and widely distributed, and the other is the common turtle (Testudo graeca) less abundant and present in very localised areas and that is classified as vulnerable.
Species protection technicians of both, the Regional Ministry for Environment, Agriculture and Fisheries, and the Wildlife Recovery Consortium of the Balearic Islands (COFIB), along with the councillor for Environment of Calvià Town Hall, Francisca Muñoz, have released this morning 57 adult and 133 young specimens of the Testudo graeca species land turtle on the Galatzó estate.
These specimens have been recovered in the COFIB, which handles more than a thousand annual turtles of different species, amongst which the common turtles and the Mediterranean ones stand out.
This release is done now in spring, the ideal time before the laying of eggs, to guarantee or increase the possibility of survival of this species. Before the release, technicians check that their physical state is optimal.
The specimens that arrive at the centre may come from different places, from the same authorised breeding centres or individuals that find them sick or injured.
It should be noted that the legislation prohibits the holding in captivity of these protected species by the National Catalogue of Endangered Species, in which it is reported that having turtles in captivity is illegal. All those people interested in continuing to raise turtles have to contact the Regional Ministry for Environment to try to regulate this situation. The Conselleria and the recovery centres will help and advise individuals at all times to find the best solution for the specimens, as well as for the protection and conservation of the populations of these species.
This type of records are made to reinforce the natural populations, since the one of the Graeca turtles is fractioned because they have few connections between them.
http://www.caib.es/pidip2front/jsp/ca/fitxa-convocatoria/strongamollada-de-tortuguesstrong1