# Endangered species released into Wild!



## expansa1 (Mar 5, 2007)

On Friday 16th February we became the first private breeders in Australia to breed and release into the wild an endangered species. We released 60 Mary River turtle hatchlings after first diving and inspecting the location for good habitat! We had someone from Natural resources and mines, and two French people who were representing a turtle breeding/conservation society in France, join Gabrielle and I. The association they represented, SOPTOM, has 3 turtle and tortoise breeding centres in 3 different countries.

They propose to invest quite a large sum of money into Australia's first private breeding centre under our management. The centre would be located on the Sunshine Coast and be AFTCRA's breeding centre. It would be large enough for bus groups to have guided tours of the operations and will also have a shop and eating facilities.

BTW, it really was a great feeling releasing these first 60 hatchlings into the wild! 

Regards,
Craig and Gabrielle 
AFTCRA Inc.


----------



## nocajudo (Mar 5, 2007)

mad


----------



## Chrisreptile (Mar 5, 2007)

well done, your doing a really good job.


----------



## DrOsteo (Mar 5, 2007)

Congratulations guys, that's just fantastic!!!!


----------



## ryanharvey1993 (Mar 5, 2007)

great job


----------



## mines bigger (Mar 5, 2007)

awesome hopefully they will make a major comeback and will be everywhere in a few years


----------



## NaughtyByNature (Mar 5, 2007)

Thats great, I hope they all thrive and do really well.
You's are doing a great job


----------



## Snake Catcher Victoria (Mar 5, 2007)

Well done Craig, you guys do a great job.
baz


----------



## Lippy (Mar 5, 2007)

hats off to you there needs to be more people like you in the world


----------



## dickyknee (Mar 5, 2007)

well done guys .


----------



## Ricko (Mar 5, 2007)

well done guys any more pics?


----------



## zulu (Mar 5, 2007)

*re Endangered*

Youve done very well craig,hope things go well with the french connection,sounds great mate!


----------



## BigSven (Mar 5, 2007)

Thats what it's all about Well done Craig and Gabrielle.

Now if they release some of those RSP into the wild it will be all good.............:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: sorry couldn't hold a straight face as if thats ever gunna happen 


Well done again Craig and Gabrielle how that is the first of many species to get a helping hand.


----------



## horsenz (Mar 5, 2007)

well done and congates you must be very proud


----------



## MoreliaMatt (Mar 5, 2007)

fantastic! great to hear!


----------



## cement (Mar 5, 2007)

YESSS!!!, good on you guys. i wish you the very best with your research etc.
Best of luck to the 60!!!


----------



## xycom (Mar 5, 2007)

That's great news, good to see something going back into the wild instead of coming out.
Can you let us know how the breeding centre comes along.

The amphibian research centre in melbourne had an open day not so long ago and the tours were fantastic.

You're all doing an amazing job! 

Per


----------



## MrSpike (Mar 5, 2007)

Good stuff you guy's!!! Keep up the good work and hopefully there will be many more of them released over the next few years!

Kane


----------



## mrdestiny (Mar 5, 2007)

That's awesome, congratulations to all concerned. Great to get international recognition and backing for the breeding centre too!
Allan


----------



## jamesr (Mar 5, 2007)

Good Work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!      
we really need some more of them in the wild i really hope they all survie and breed 
thats tops really good:shock:


----------



## expansa1 (Mar 5, 2007)

Thank you to everyone for the kind comments and well wishes! 
Yes it was a pretty emotional day for us! The French connection will be writing an article to go all around the world to try to get international outrage over the possibility of damming the Mary River. He said it should be made a world heritage area instead of being dammed. He has dived in almost every country in the world looking for, and photographing freshwater turtles. He wants to bring some important people back in September to witness the beauty of the Mary River for themselves!

On another note, a big thanks to everyone buying the limited number of Mary's to help us raise money for this breeding program and vital equipment!
A special thank you also to Simon and Barry from 'Everything Reptile' in West Manly, Brisbane, who donated an underwater video surveillance camera with 20metres of cable and a colour monitor for people who want to see the Mary River underwater without getting their feet wet! 

Regards,

Craig & Gab-AFTCRA Inc.


----------



## junglemad (Mar 5, 2007)

60? That is a big effort. they look well conditioned. I hope they are laying clutches of their own in a few years


----------



## NCHERPS (Mar 5, 2007)

That's awesome guys, being able to breed and release endangered species back into the wild is something that you can be incrediably proud of, a great achievement, Well Done!

Best of luck with your new breeding centre, I will be sure to make the trip up once you are up and running.

Neil


----------



## expansa1 (Mar 5, 2007)

Thanks again everyone!

We have another 47 to release so that makes it 107 for the first season.

Cheers,

Craig


----------



## cris (Mar 5, 2007)

Great work, keep it up


----------



## codeth (Mar 5, 2007)

thats gold


----------



## Jumala (Mar 5, 2007)

FANTASTIC! good to see the little guys are getting a helping hand  they are little cuties for sure - fingers crossed they survive and breed


----------



## Jungle_Freak (Mar 6, 2007)

CONGRATULATIONS,
Real and positive steps being undertaken by your foundation 
with your captive breeding and release programes


----------



## Hickson (Mar 6, 2007)

WELL DONE!!! Good to see some real conservation in action, and not just hear the lip service that PR machines turn out.



Hix


----------



## olivehydra (Mar 6, 2007)

Good stuff guys


----------



## Jozz (Mar 6, 2007)

good work! Looks like a beautiful habitat for them


----------



## warren63 (Mar 6, 2007)

Thats fantastic !!!!!!!!!


----------



## little_angel (Mar 6, 2007)

Thats what we need more of to help our little guys!


----------



## hornet (Mar 6, 2007)

wow, congrats, if that breeding centre goes ahead that gonna be great, any chance you would ever be involved in western swamp turtles?


----------



## expansa1 (Mar 6, 2007)

hornet said:


> wow, congrats, if that breeding centre goes ahead that gonna be great, any chance you would ever be involved in western swamp turtles?



One thing is for certain, if we get the centre up and running and keep breeding endangered species for release, we will endeavour to get Western Swamp turtles for display and for breeding. The French connection are very close friends of Dr Gerald Kuchling, the person heading up the Western Swamp turtle breeding program in WA.

Regards,

Craig


----------



## hornet (Mar 6, 2007)

good luck craig and just waiting on some cash then i will put money in the account


----------



## expansa1 (Mar 6, 2007)

One of the members that originally wanted a Mary River turtle has now changed her mind so we have one more available to anyone who wants to help do their bit for conservation!

Cheers,
Craig
More release location photo's


----------



## Hoppa1874 (Mar 6, 2007)

way to go... congrats on ur achievement, it must feel great to know ur making a difference..
Cheers


----------



## Troy 1000 (Mar 6, 2007)

Congrats, hope it is very successful


----------



## expansa1 (Mar 6, 2007)

Thanks again for the support!
Just today we were surprised at what was meant to be our last clutch of 28 Saw-shells hatching which turned out to be another clutch of Mary River turtles. This clutch was a surprise as that is something of a record for the most eggs laid by a MRT. Mary's usually lay up to 22 eggs. That will make 135 turtles for release this season! We are allowed to take a local newspaper to the next release to do a story on the hatchlings and make people more aware of the plight of the Mary River turtle!

Cheers,

Craig


----------



## hornet (Mar 6, 2007)

wow congrats craig, gonna pm you with a question i got


----------



## Rennie (Mar 6, 2007)

Thats great news Craig, well done!


----------



## pugsly (Mar 6, 2007)

Are they all hatchlings being released Gab?

Would it be better to release say yearlings, or 2-3 year olds etc for a greater chance of survival or anything?

Fantastic thing you guys are doing, there cute little buggers, Ive caught the turtle bug too now...


----------



## expansa1 (Mar 6, 2007)

pugsly said:


> Are they all hatchlings being released Gab?
> 
> Would it be better to release say yearlings, or 2-3 year olds etc for a greater chance of survival or anything?
> 
> Fantastic thing you guys are doing, there cute little buggers, Ive caught the turtle bug too now...



Hi Pugsly,
Unfortunately we are only allowed to release them within a few months of them hatching so they don't develop a dependency on humans and their natural instincts aren't lost!

Also, it has been proven that most turtles don't survive mainly due to the eggs being predated or taken during their journey to the water. After that the survivability statistics escalate quite high.

Cheers,

Craig-AFTCRA Inc.


----------



## MrSpike (Mar 6, 2007)

Good work on the extra egg's you guy's, I would love to buy that mary river turtles, shame i don't have the money nor the room for an adult Mary, on day, one day!

Keep up the good work!

Kane


----------



## expansa1 (Mar 6, 2007)

MrSpike said:


> Good work on the extra egg's you guy's, I would love to buy that mary river turtles, shame i don't have the money nor the room for an adult Mary, on day, one day!
> 
> Keep up the good work!
> 
> Kane



Hi Kane,

If the Mary River turtle outgrows your enclosure then you can swap it for a hatchling later on down the track!

This way you will be helping to raise a turtle that can later enter into the breeding genepool and our breeding program. That is if you do want to swap it for a new hatchy!

Cheers,

Craig
AFTCRA Inc.


----------



## gold&black... (Mar 6, 2007)

expansa1 said:


> Hi Pugsly,
> Unfortunately we are only allowed to release them within a few months of them hatching so they don't develop a dependency on humans and their natural instincts aren't lost!
> 
> Also, it has been proven that most turtles don't survive mainly due to the eggs being predated or taken during their journey to the water. After that the survivability statistics escalate quite high.
> ...



good to hear that cos I had the exact same thoughts as Pugsly... 

Keep the good work goin and I honestly hope there r more people like u'r selves in other countries also where good number of species are steadily disappearing....


----------



## Goannas1 (Mar 6, 2007)

cool


----------



## pugsly (Mar 6, 2007)

Makes sense!

Great stuff guys, a very proud achievement.


----------



## dragons75 (Mar 6, 2007)

Good on ya guys


----------



## -=Surflifesaver=- (Mar 6, 2007)

great work guys hope it all goes well and we will get to see more of theses turtles everywhere 

really excellent work good onya


----------



## dazza_wilto (Mar 6, 2007)

well done guys, hopefully all the hard work pays off


----------



## Zeus_the_beardie (Mar 6, 2007)

You have just made my day, WELL done. Hope the river doesnt get dammed.


----------



## Rastass (Mar 6, 2007)

junglemad said:


> 60? That is a big effort. they look well conditioned. I hope they are laying clutches of their own in a few years



Hey Anthony (and everyone else), it actually takes 25 years for these guys to be able to breed in the wild. Yes, thats 25 years!!! Maybe only 15 years in captivity cause they seem to eat better.

This is just a little bit of info to perhaps make people realise just how endangered these guys are.

Now lots of people have replied to this thread. That is great. But replies mean little. PLease join AFTCRA or buy a T Shirt. That is th eonly way we can assure that people like Craig (who gave up their career to devote to these turtles) can continue their struggle.

Come on please folks. Do you just want to watch the parade or do you actually want be a part of the parade.


----------



## expansa1 (Mar 7, 2007)

Rastass said:


> Hey Anthony (and everyone else), it actually takes 25 years for these guys to be able to breed in the wild. Yes, thats 25 years!!! Maybe only 15 years in captivity cause they seem to eat better.
> 
> This is just a little bit of info to perhaps make people realise just how endangered these guys are.
> 
> ...




Hi Rastass, thanks for that! 
This Fri, Sat and Sunday we are being paid(expenses only) to go to Rockhampton for Greening Australia to do a talk and take with us the 6 species of turtles from the Fitzroy River. We will be doing talks at schools and on Saturday, the Rockhampton Zoo. We will also be interviewed by the ABC on Friday morning. Most people are not aware that we are also involved in the recovery of the Fitzroy River turtle that is listed as vulnerable!

Regards,

Craig 
AFTCRA Inc.


----------



## phantomcat (Mar 11, 2007)

this is wonderful news guys! you should be very proud of what you've achieved so far!


----------



## JayM (Mar 11, 2007)

Good job, that a really nice creek!


----------



## GEARJAMMER (Mar 22, 2007)

great job


----------



## liasis (Mar 22, 2007)

keep up the good work


----------



## olivehydra (Mar 22, 2007)

bump with a few pics


----------



## pythoness (Mar 22, 2007)

wonderful work guys, keep it up


----------



## learning snake man (Apr 11, 2007)

*cowabunger*


----------



## Maxx (Apr 12, 2007)

Great news. well done and good luck in the future.


----------

