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Turtle Survival Alliance — 
4th Annual Conference 

The Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) is
pleased to announce their 4th Annual
Conference, hosted by the St. Louis Zoo
on 10–13 August 2006 in St. Louis,
Missouri. Expanding to a full three-day
format, this will be a joint conference
with the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater
Turtle Specialist Group (TFTSG). In
addition to oral presentations, a special
poster session/social will allow greater
involvement of participants. To encour-
age participation by students, the
Chelonian Research Foundation will
award $250 prizes for best student pre-
sentations. Attendance and presentations
at the Conference are open to all inter-
ested individuals.

The keynote speaker will be Ed
Moll, co-author of the book Ecology,
Exploitation, and Conservation of River
Turtles; co-author and brother Don Moll
also will speak. Ed is recognized as one of
the foremost leaders in turtle conserva-
tion, and “sounded the alarm” years
before the Asian turtle crisis was widely
publicized. He was also the first
Chairman of the TFTSG. Peter Pritchard
will be the banquet speaker. Additional
speakers will be posted on the TSA web

site as the program develops. Registration
information is available on the TSA web-
site (http://www.turtlesurvival.org/).

Public Outraged at Assault on 
Sea Turtle Protection

Public comments received by the Pacific
Fisheries Management Council about its
9 March final vote to allow drift gillnets,
also known as “curtains of death,” and
longlines back into vast protected areas
along the Pacific Coast expresses over-
whelming public opposition to industry
efforts to gut successful conservation
measures that protected critically endan-
gered Leatherback Sea Turtles. By the
close of the 15 February public comment
period, the Council received comments at
a ratio of about 2,200 to 1 not to proceed
with the expansion of these two destruc-
tive fishing practices that injure and kill
large numbers of sea turtles, marine
mammals, seabirds, and valuable non-tar-
get fish. In addition, a unique coalition of
ten recreational fishing, animal welfare,
and marine conservation groups with
about 9 million members are working to
oppose the measure.

“It’s time for the Council and
NOAA Fisheries to listen to the public
and enforce their mandate to protect the

public interest,” said Robert Ovetz,
Ph.D., Save the Leatherback Campaign
Coordinator with the Sea Turtle
Restoration Project, “And the public
interest is keeping Leatherback Sea Turtles
and other marine species from going
extinct and prevent overfishing.”

The United Nations banned drift-
nets on the high seas in 1991 and the U.S.
has followed with recent closures to large
areas in U.S. waters, including the time
and area closures along the Pacific Coast.
Since 2001, areas north of Point
Conception to an intersect with the
Oregon coast have been closed to drift
gillnet fishing from 15 August through 15
November in order to protect endangered
Leatherback and Loggerhead sea turtles.
During the past three years of closure, this
fishery, which targets swordfish with drift
gillnet gear, has had no recorded takes of
Leatherback Sea Turtles. Longline fishing,
which is also one of the main threats to
Leatherback Sea Turtles, was banned
along the U.S. West Coast in 2004.

Since 2002, 64 dolphins, whales,
seals, and sea lions have been killed by the
drift gillnet fishery in the West Coast
areas still open to gillnetting. Additionally,
seabirds including Northern Fulmars and
Cassin’s Auklet have been injured or
killed.

The proposed exemption would
allow as many as two-thirds of the remain-
ing 36 drift-gillnet vessels and between 71
and 131 longline vessels into the closed
areas. “Drift-gillnet and longlines are sub-
sidized unprofitable industries looking for
a hand-out at the expense of endangered
species like Leatherback Sea Turtles,
Humpback Whales, and sharks. The pub-
lic has spoken. It’s time for the govern-
ment to listen,” added Ovetz.

Resources include the scientist letter
(http://www.seaturtles.org/pdf/___Scient.
ltr.PFMC.final.pdf), the NGO coalition
letter (http://www.seaturtles.org/pdf/
_NGO.letter.2.final.pdf), and informa-
tion about the Pacific Fisheries Manage-
ment Council meeting (http://www.
pcouncil.org/bb/2005/bb1105.html).

Robert Ovetz (robert@seaturtles.org)
Sea Turtle Restoration Project

2 March 2006

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IGUANA  •  VOLUME 13, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2006 167NEWSBRIEFS

The Indian Red-crowned Roofed Turtle (Kachuga kachuga) is one of many Asian Turtle species
that will be discussed at the August TSA Conference.

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168 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 13, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2006 NEWSBRIEFS

Roti Island Snake-necked Turtles 
All but Extinct

The Roti Island Snake-necked Turtle
(Chelodina mccordi) is a small, long-
necked turtle found only in the wetlands
of Roti Island in eastern Indonesia. Since
this endemic turtle was described as a new
species in 1994, international demand for
it has intensified to the point where the
species has become all but extinct in the
wild. No legal trade of this species from
Indonesia has been allowed since 2001.
Prior to its description, it was exported
illegally as another species, the New
Guinea Snake-necked Turtle (C.
novaeguineae), which has been protected
in Indonesia since 1980.

A new TRAFFIC report determined
that the capture and trade of these ani-
mals has not been carried out in accor-
dance with relevant Indonesian laws.

Despite national quotas set for harvest
and export of C. mccordi between 1997
and 2001, no licenses for collection or
transport permits have been issued to
date. All specimens of C. mccordi that
have been exported since 1994 have been
illegally acquired.

In 2000, the IUCN Red List catego-
rized the species as “Critically
Endangered,” and the Roti Island Snake-
necked Turtle was assessed as commer-
cially extinct that same year. The species
is listed in Appendix II of CITES, which
requires any international trade to be car-
ried out under a permitting system.

However, the continuing interna-
tional demand from hobbyists and collec-
tors in Europe, North America, and east-
ern Asia is pushing this endemic species
toward extinction. Even if C. mccordi is
added to the Indonesian list of protected
species, monitoring and enforcement of
existing laws are lacking and, in some
places, non-existent. If these laws, such as
those governing capture and transport of
wildlife, are not enforced, this species will
surely become extinct in the wild in the
very near future.

Chris R. Shepherd
www.traffic.org

Jakarta, Indonesia
2 February 2006

Fear for the Turtle
Worried that a growing market for the
meat of Diamondback Terrapins may

wipe out a symbol of Maryland, some
state legislators are proposing to outlaw
harvesting the turtle in the Chesapeake
Bay.

But watermen and the state
Department of Natural Resources are
fighting an outright ban, arguing that ter-
rapins are not endangered and that more
modest state regulations restricting the
catch would make more sense.

“I think this subject is important
because the terrapin is in decline once
again,” said Del. Virginia P. Clagett, an
Anne Arundel Democrat who is one of
18 sponsors of House Bill 980, which
would prohibit the catching of terrapins.
“Any species lost is a real loss, but this also
happens to be the state icon.”

Clagett said she finds it frustrating
that neighboring Virginia — which does
not feature the “Terp” as the proud mas-
cot of its state university — outlaws the
commercial harvest of terrapins, but
Maryland does not. “If they can do it, we
can do it,” she said.

At the center of the debate, which
flared before the House Environmental
Matters Committee recently, is the unan-
swered question of how many terrapins
still swim in the bay, and whether their
numbers are really falling or rising.

The shy reptiles — up to 9 inches
long, with distinctive diamond-shaped
growth rings on their shells — live in
coastal waters from Massachusetts to
Texas, but historically have been found in
greatest numbers in the Chesapeake Bay.
Considered a delicacy in soup, they were
harvested nearly to extinction at the end
of the 19th century.

Howard King, director of fisheries at
the DNR, said that perhaps hundreds of
thousands of terrapins remain in the
Maryland portion of the bay. Local water-
men, who often catch them in their fish-
ing nets by accident, sell between 5,000
and 12,000 pounds of the turtles every
year, King said. The turtles weigh
between 1 and 4 pounds each.

More than 2,000 watermen have
licenses from the state that allow the
catching of the turtles, as well as other
marine life. But only five to nine water-
men specialize in catching terrapins,
mostly around Smith Island and Tangier
Sound, King said.

The state imposes no limit on the
number of terrapins that a person with a
license can catch, and the season lasts

Roti Island Snake-necked Turtles (Chelodina
mccordi) are found only in the wetlands of
Roti Island in eastern Indonesia.

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A trap used to capture Chelonia mccordi in a
freshwater swamp on Roti Island.

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three-quarters of the year, from 1 August
through 30 April.

As an alternative to a moratorium
imposed by legislation, the Department
of Natural Resources may propose limit-
ing the season, capping the catch or
reducing the number of watermen with
terrapin licenses, King said.

“It’s hard to tell if they are declining
or not,” King said. “The terrapin issue is
certainly not critical. They deserve conser-
vation, but the population is not at a crit-
ically low level.”

Marguerite Whilden, a former
DNR fisheries manager who now directs
a nonprofit conservation organization
called the Terrapin Institute, says a grow-
ing market for terrapin meat among
Chinese restaurants and consumers in
Asia is a threat to the turtles.

She estimates that as many as 20,000
terrapins have been netted in the
Chesapeake Bay in the last two years, and
that perhaps only 35,000 remain.

“We used to be called the Terrapin
State. It’s an embarrassment that we’ve
been so complacent, and that they are
much more concerned about the terrapin
in Virginia,” Whilden said. “It’s a very
persistent creature, but once it’s gone, it’s
gone. It can’t be raised from the dead.”

Her organization is offering to buy
terrapins from watermen at market rate
— which is about $4–6 per turtle — so
she can return them to the bay. If the state
bans terrapin harvesting altogether,

Whilden said, her organization would
pay to compensate the watermen.

Larry Simns, president of the
Maryland Watermen’s Association, said
he would support capping terrapin har-
vests at current levels, but not outlawing
catching them. “I think terrapins have
been doing better the last five or six years.
They’re not threatened at all,” Simns said.
“Every time you lose part of your pay-
check, it hurts.”

Tom Pelton
Baltimore Sun

21 March 2006

Dogs Kill Blue Iguanas
Two Cayman Blue Iguanas (Cyclura
lewisi) were killed at the Queen Elizabeth
II Botanic Park this week, a pregnant
female has been mauled, and a fourth
iguana is missing. Wild dogs caused the
casualties.

Fred Burton, director of the Blue
Iguana Recovery Program, identified the
dead iguanas as Slugger and Sapphire,
both pioneers in the Program to help
bring the Blues back from near-extinc-
tion. “These two were the most pho-
tographed iguanas on the planet,” Mr.
Burton said. He explained that they were
both born in captivity in 1997 and
released into the 65-acre park in 1999.
“They were not tame, but they were not
afraid of people. They were like ambassa-

dors. Thousands of visitors admired them
and took their pictures, which are now all
over the world,” Mr. Burton said.

Another 26 Blue Iguanas roam freely
in the park, he indicated. The deaths
highlight what could be a long-term
problem for the park and a situation with
irresponsible pet owners.

Slugger was buried Tuesday morning
while park staff and iguana volunteers
continued to look for his mate, Yellow-
Blue, who was not in her nesting area.
She came back late Tuesday, badly injured
but determined to finish nesting, Mr.
Burton said. She is missing half of her tail
and her back right foot. She is expected to
lay her eggs in the next few days. Until
then, Mr. Burton is reluctant to interfere.
Iguanas have an amazing immune system
and the risk of infection is not great, he
said. After she finishes preparing her nest,
she will go underground for a few days.
When the eggs are laid, she will come out
and go on a feeding spree and Mr. Burton
will look at her more closely then. Right
now, it’s better to let nature take its
course.

But a fourth iguana, Santa, has been
missing for several weeks and Mr. Burton
wonders if he was an earlier victim to the
dogs.

The problem was realized in earnest
Monday morning, when a staff member
was checking the grounds before the park
opened to the public. He noticed two
dogs down by the lake and went to chase
them away. They ran into the bush in the
east and it was then he found Sapphire.
She was badly bitten and died a couple of
hours later.

IGUANA  •  VOLUME 13, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2006 169NEWSBRIEFS

Fred Burton examines Slugger on the
Botanic Park facility's porch where Slugger
was observed regularly.

Marguerite Whilden, a former DNR fisheries manager who now directs a nonprofit conservation
organization called the Terrapin Institute, estimates that as many as 20,000 Diamondback
Terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) have been netted in the Chesapeake Bay in the last two years, and
that perhaps only 35,000 remain.

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Iguana 13.2 b&w text.QX6  6/26/06  1:21 PM  Page 169



With great sadness I report the death of Ron Goellner,
Director of Animal Collections at the Saint Louis Zoo.

Ron passed away early in the morning of 26 February 2006, in
the comfort of his home and with his loving wife Karen at his
side. The entire Saint Louis Zoo community is profoundly sad-
dened by the loss of a man who touched the lives of so many,
yet we know that Ron would be the first to tell us to “keep
smilin’.” You cannot conjure memories of Ron and not follow
his advice, because he sowed smiles wherever he went.

Born 4 November 1945, Ron’s career at the Saint Louis Zoo
spanned 35 years. He started in the Reptile House in 1970 as a
keeper and, within a few years, was promoted to Curator of
Reptiles, a position he held until 1995. For the past ten years,
Ron served as the Director of Animal Collections for the zoo.
Although Ron was intensely interested in all reptiles and amphib-
ians, his true passions were Tuataras and Hellbenders. In 1980,
Ron traveled to Stephen’s Island in New Zealand to collect envi-
ronmental data that could be utilized in the construction of a
new off-exhibit enclosure for the Zoo’s Tuatara group, which has
been in the collection since 1973. In recent years, Ron founded
the Center for Hellbender Conservation, which included the
construction of a dedicated off-exhibit facility for captive propa-
gation efforts. In addition, he established valuable links with the
Missouri Department of Conservation and researchers at univer-
sities in order to implement cooperative in situ initiatives for the
Hellbender in Missouri.

Ron was an avid gardener and had built several ponds
around his house to attract local amphibians. He enjoyed a wide
array of outdoor activities and particularly loved camping in the
Big Bend region of Texas and the mountains of southeastern
Arizona.

Ron was my mentor and colleague, but most of all he was a
dear friend whom I will miss very much.

Jeff Ettling
Curator of Herpetology

Saint Louis Zoo

O B I T U A R Y

Ronald Goellner (1945–2006)

Ron Goellner, here holding a Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganien-
sis), founded the Center for Hellbender Conservation. Photograph
courtesy of the St. Louis Zoo.

170 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 13, NUMBER 2  •  JUNE 2006 NEWSBRIEFS

“This was a red alert,” Mr. Burton
said. The Department of Agriculture was
contacted and officers took another dog
trap to the park to go with the one already
on the premises. On Monday night the
traps were set and Mr. Burton waited
until the iguanas went into their retreats.
Slugger liked to spend the night under a
plywood ramp leading to public toilets
near the iguana facility and Mr. Burton
saw him go there around sundown.

It rained Tuesday night and the bait
probably washed out of the dog traps, he
said. On Tuesday morning, Chris Carr
came early to check the traps. Instead, he
saw digging marks by the ramp. He
checked more closely and saw two dogs
under the toilet building with an iguana.
Mr. Carr was able to retrieve the iguana.
It was Slugger, and he was dead.

Mr. Burton said Slugger would not
have been afraid of the dogs, probably

never having seen one before. “He was
the dominant male in the area. He would
have stayed and fought,” he said.
Although he was the largest iguana in the
park at over 17 pounds, he was no match
for the dogs. “If we succeed in catching
the dogs, we’ll have to put them down,”
Mr. Burton said. It was not clear whether
they belonged to anyone. They did not
have collars and did not act as if they had
any training, he indicated.

But along with the dogs, irresponsi-
ble pet owners are causing another mon-
strous problem for the wildlife in the
park. “Well-meaning people are bringing
animals to the park and abandoning
them, thinking park staff will be kind to
animals. We have found kittens, full-
grown cats, puppies, and Green Iguanas
(Iguana iguana), and we have absolutely
no option but to trap them and remove
them. “They have no place here and

they’re damaging the native wildlife we’re
trying so hard to protect,” Mr. Burton
said.

Especially worrisome are the Green
Iguanas. People think they’re cute when
they’re little. But then they grow into big
lizards and the owner doesn’t want them
any more. The Green Iguanas – with def-
inite black stripes on the tail – are not
native to Cayman, he emphasized. They
don’t belong here and they are a threat to
the vulnerable Blues.

If anything good can come out of
this experience, maybe it could be peo-
ple’s increased awareness of what happens
when they allow their pets to roam or
when they drop off unwanted animals.
“Please don’t bring animals to the park.
It’s not a home for them,” he urged.

Carol Winker
Cayman Webnet, 7 June 2006

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