within Europe. As such, they may no longer be imported, sold, offered for sale or otherwise traded in Hibernation was a hit-or-miss, life or death gamble for tens of thousands of tortoises throughout Europe annually. We published and distributed, free of charge, the world's first comprehensive guide to how to manage hibernation safely. Countless tortoises' lives have been saved as a result, and to date, over 90,000 print copies of this publication have been given away free to any owner who asks. We now make an updated version free online. Firstly, you need to learn all you can about the different species and their special needs. You may be offered American or Asian box tortoises, Russian tortoises, or various tropical tortoises for example - make sure you know the details of diet and environment these require (which We are particularly concerned at the growth in Internet sales of live animals, and we totally oppose this practice. The Tortoise Trust was a founding partner in efforts to save the highly endangered Egyptian Tortoise, Testudo kleinmanni, in Egypt. We provided funding and technical support to this important program.We have worked in both Egypt and Israel, and have collaborated on and funded important studies on their natural ecology and diet in collaboration with the Tisch Family Zoological Garden in Jerusalem.

There are many tortoise and turtle societies and clubs, but The Tortoise Trust is different. We have an enviable record of pioneering original research in this field, and of developing and publishing methods and information that have quite literally changed the way people keep chelonia throughout the world. From the early 1980's onwards, The Tortoise Trust has led the way in the field of tortoise and turtle husbandry. Our work on diet and disease prevention, on taxonomy, and on captive breeding technologies have had a tremendous impact - and to this day we continue to actively research even better methods of husbandry and ways to improve welfare. Here are just a few past examples of how The Tortoise Trust has constantly advanced chelonian knowledge over the years since we began: for rescued or confiscated animals. These are looked after by volunteer members. Naturally, we are always pleased to hear of new volunteers, but we do stress that the waiting list in many cases is quite long. More people want tortoises than animals are available. The Tortoise Trust re-homing scheme does not involve fees of any sort - but we do insist that potential foster homes meet strict standards and that the members concerned have attained a very good standard of technical knowledge . Courses areIn Spring 2009 we held a series of training workshops, and were involved in several large seizures and confiscations involving several hundred tortoises and turtles. Many required intensive veterinary care. This work continues. During 2007 we released new updates of several publications and highlighted the problems caused by dealers supplying tortoises with incorrect care information and unsuitable vivarium accommodation.

The Tortoise Trust developed, tested and publicised the entire concept of the now-popular 'Tortoise Table' method of indoor husbandry. The first published descriptions of this (and the first published use of the term) appeared in the 'Practical Encyclopedia of Keeping & Breeding Tortoises & Freshwater Turtles'in 1996, based upon Tortoise Trust original research. Now, the method is used worldwide. the UK on average. Juveniles are usually at the lower end of this range, and egg-laying females tend to be at the upper end.In 2002 we launched the world's first comprehensive online education and training program for keepers worldwide. A totally new, updated version of this course compatible with mobile devices is about to be relaunched! Private individuals may sell a 'surplus' tortoise but only if they are in possession of the relevant CITES documentation. This applies even if the animal is a long-term pet or is captive-bred in this country. Different countries also insist upon various marking provisions - the UK normally required microchipping of animals to be sold and any Around the same time, it became apparent that many tortoises were dying under mysterious circumstances from what appeared to be an epidemic disease. Again, we were the very first organisation in the world bring this to widespread notice, and we were the first to warn of the possibility of viral diseases in tortoises (subsequently proven true). We were also the very first to warn against mixing different species. In 2012, we began to release some startling revelations on how heat lamps can affect health in tortoises, a subject that had been almost entirely ignored in the literature. Based upon several years research, and utilising state of the art thermographic imaging and computer analyses, we identified several areas of concern that affects every keeper of captive reptiles who employs artificial basking sources. In Spring 2012 we also published the very first recorded observations of true nocturnal behaviour in wild Testudo graeca - the first such published observation to appear since the species was described in 1758. Over the years since we began, we have carried out extensive fieldwork and continue to develop new and improved methods to enhance the conservation and welfare of Chelonia. By subscribing to our newsletter and other publications, you help this work to continue. Thank you.

The classification of the Mediterranean Testudo group was seriously inadequate. We undertook extensive museum and field research which culminated in exploding the then-accepted '4-subspecies' myth and showed that in reality diversity was far greater than anyone had previously realised. This has had important implications for conservation and captive breeding. One outcome of this is that we described, and named, Tunisian tortoises as a separate species. This is now widely accepted. In 2008 we also highlighted the dangers of the sale of hemp and other unsuitable bedding materials to tortoise keepers, and we also uncovered major problems with herpes-virus in imported tortoises. This resulted in the successful prosecution of several pet dealers for violations of animal welfare laws. The Tortoise Trust is extremely concerned at the growing numbers of tortoises being imported into the UK, and we have serious doubts about the true origin of some of these animals. We have no doubt that many are not captive-bred as claimed. We are also very concerned at the manner in which these animals are shipped and handled via networks of "distributors" and dealers (many of whomfalsely claim to be breeders). Our rehoming program has helped find thousands of tortoises new homes over the years with experienced keepers. It has a well deserved reputation for excellence and for placing the interests of the tortoise first. This work continues.

We launched highly effective campaigns against supermarkets such that were directly involved in cruelty to turtles and in the illegal exploitation of endangered species in China. We also warned about the potential for pandemic diseases arising from the unhygienic and inhumane conditions in wildlife markets. We were again proven right. Should you decide to go ahead, we recommend purchasing ONLY from a genuine, LOCAL breeder who offers adequate pre-and-post sales advice and support, who meets all legal requirements. Our dietary and husbandry research has continued, and we have subsequently published original new material on how feeding fruit is damaging to arid habitat species, how to achieve perfect shell growth in hatchlings, and upon the importance of microclimates in captivity.