This is the one I wait all year for

[Flaviemys purvisi]

Here we go again, and sadly, for the final time in my captive breeding career.

Critically endangered Manning river turtle - now (Wollumbinia purvisi) laying her precious clutch of eggs for 2021.
Every single one of these ancient creatures that can be brought into the world is priceless.

To whoever earns the right to carry the torch from here on in and captive breed these turtles, the responsibility you have on your shoulders in huge as my experience and contributions are no longer required to preserve this species apparently as I'm not ZAA affiliated or qualified to do so.

Thanks all for your support over the past 18 months battling the nonsensical new QLD wildlife laws, it wasn't me that lost, it was the turtles.

Anyways, onwards and upwards. It will take many many months/years to put this project behind me after everything I've sacrificed and invested to unlock the secrets of Australia's oldest surviving most cryptic freshwater turtle.



The whole process was over in less than half an hour, she's back in her tank now having a feed and I excavated a total of 9 eggs, sadly, 1 was badly broken in the nest so I have 8 in the incubator. She's none the wiser and normally right now I'd be ecstatic but now that the clutch is in the incubator I think it's all hitting home, this is it, the last go round and it's a very somber mood here indeed.

Think I'm just gonna call it a night.

Cheers all.

 

[ElapidHooks]

Awww your turtles are the cutest!!

Make sure to post when they hatch!!

 

[Susannah]

You and your girl are doing an amazing job - and you've got 8 precious eggies needing all the love they can get. Hang in there until they're strong enough to battle on without you.
And I'm so sorry this is your last shot. Stupid laws are stupid.

 

[Pythonguy1]

Here we go again, and sadly, for the final time in my captive breeding career.

Critically endangered Manning river turtle - now (Wollumbinia purvisi) laying her precious clutch of eggs for 2021.
Every single one of these ancient creatures that can be brought into the world is priceless.

To whoever earns the right to carry the torch from here on in and captive breed these turtles, the responsibility you have on your shoulders in huge as my experience and contributions are no longer required to preserve this species apparently as I'm not ZAA affiliated or qualified to do so.

Thanks all for your support over the past 18 months battling the nonsensical new QLD wildlife laws, it wasn't me that lost, it was the turtles.

Anyways, onwards and upwards. It will take many many months/years to put this project behind me after everything I've sacrificed and invested to unlock the secrets of Australia's oldest surviving most cryptic freshwater turtle.
View attachment 332051
View attachment 332052

The whole process was over in less than half an hour, she's back in her tank now having a feed and I excavated a total of 9 eggs, sadly, 1 was badly broken in the nest so I have 8 in the incubator. She's none the wiser and normally right now I'd be ecstatic but now that the clutch is in the incubator I think it's all hitting home, this is it, the last go round and it's a very somber mood here indeed.

Think I'm just gonna call it a night.

Cheers all.

View attachment 332053View attachment 332054View attachment 332055

I'll be honest, I definitely got a little teary reading that post. It just makes me want to toss the new laws, along with the people who created them, off a cliff all the more. Thanks for taking us on this incredible journey with you Kev. It's been a blessing to be able to watch your amazing work over the years

 

[Friller2009]

Will you still be able to keep them? Or have they been taken off the licence .
You’ve done lots for this species and it would be a shame to see them go.
Is there some sort of conservation permit you could apply for to continue to keep this species with us.

 

[Flaviemys purvisi]

Hi all, egg update - after just 22 hours of incubation at 26° the 8 purvis eggs have started banding, indicating that they're fertile.

Incubation duration for purvisi is 50 days at 28° but this year I'm doing them 2 degrees cooler.
Now we wait.

 

[Herpetology]

Will you still be able to keep them? Or have they been taken off the licence .
You’ve done lots for this species and it would be a shame to see them go.
Is there some sort of conservation permit you could apply for to continue to keep this species with us.

He’s only allowed to keep, not breed or sell

and *help* with breeding programs, I think he said in other thread

 

[Flaviemys purvisi]

Basically I've been instructed that any further breeding of this species by myself will be an illegal activity and I'll face prosecution if I continue to breed purvisi. I've been instructed by QPWS that I need to destroy any future eggs by method of freezing.... this puts me in a bind as purvisi are an IUCN RED-LISTED species and interfering with a RED-LISTED species is illegal and punishable by huge fines and jail time... not to mention that doing so is just plain immoral to anyone with an iota of common sense and decency.

 

[dragonlover1]

Basically I've been instructed that any further breeding of this species by myself will be an illegal activity and I'll face prosecution if I continue to breed purvisi. I've been instructed by QPWS that I need to destroy any future eggs by method of freezing.... this puts me in a bind as purvisi are an IUCN RED-LISTED species and interfering with a RED-LISTED species is illegal and punishable by huge fines and jail time... not to mention that doing so is just plain immoral to anyone with an iota of common sense and decency.

so the question is whether you follow the QLD rules or the international rules ???

"doing so is just plain immoral to anyone with an iota of common sense and decency."
We're talking about boofocrats here, they don't have either

 

[Flaviemys purvisi]

Good morning all, today is the day...
Being my last chance to obtain data from Australia's oldest surviving and most critically endangered freshwater turtle species, I did things a little differently this year and incubated this clutch at 26 degrees, 2 degrees below the normal 28 degrees to see how it would affect the incubation duration. The general rule of thumb with turtle eggs is to add an additional week of incubation time for every degree below 28 degrees. Purvisi normally hatch on day #50 at 28 degrees, today is day #65 at 26 degrees.
No issues, no dramas, 8/8 - 100% Success.


My work here is done. I will continue to post and update this thread over the next couple of weeks.

Thank you all for this great reptile forum and despite it being primarily about pythons and snakes, you didn't allow that to prevent me from participating over the last couple of years with what most of you would consider freshwater turtle spam. My apologies but sincerely, thank you.

From here-on-in I dare say I'll no longer be around here as much as I try to come to terms with the closing of this chapter of my life.
I hope you all had a Merry Christmas, I hope all your breeding efforts for 2021/22 are all coming to fruition and I wish this forum and all you fantastic herpers the very best for 2022 and beyond.

 

[Python]

Thank you too for all your efforts and valuable contributions. Wishing you a happy new year.

 

[Herpetology]

This is a truly sad end to an adventure due to no fault but a bunch of idiots running the joint, did they ever offer you any “workarounds” like giving the hatchlings to a conservation facility?? Or just a straight

hope you keep it up Kev… you’ve done wonders for this species.. without huge donations

 

[Flaviemys purvisi]

This is a truly sad end to an adventure due to no fault but a bunch of idiots running the joint, did they ever offer you any “workarounds” like giving the hatchlings to a conservation facility?? Or just a straight

hope you keep it up Kev… you’ve done wonders for this species.. without huge donations

Cheers mate. I was told I need to make an application... to apply to "keep only" my existing animals... this could be rejected for any number of reasons... if it isn't and I'm granted a "keep only permit" any trading/selling is prohibited and breeding will be deemed illegal and the offspring seized and I'd face prosecution and most likely forfeit my animals. But hey... it's all about conservation! How many have the ARP produced this season and the last for their million + in tax payer funded grants to "save the species"??

Don't worry, they got this.

 

[Herpetology]

Cheers mate. I was told I need to make an application... to apply to "keep only" my existing animals... this could be rejected for any number of reasons... if it isn't and I'm granted a "keep only permit" any trading/selling is prohibited and breeding will be deemed illegal and the offspring seized and I'd face prosecution and most likely forfeit my animals. But hey... it's all about conservation! How many have the ARP produced this season and the last for their million + in tax payer funded grants to "save the species"??

Don't worry, they got this.

if only they could use that millions of dollars to pay someone for established captive bred animals instead of taking more gravid females from the wild @_@

 

[dragonlover1]

Good morning all, today is the day...
Being my last chance to obtain data from Australia's oldest surviving and most critically endangered freshwater turtle species, I did things a little differently this year and incubated this clutch at 26 degrees, 2 degrees below the normal 28 degrees to see how it would affect the incubation duration. The general rule of thumb with turtle eggs is to add an additional week of incubation time for every degree below 28 degrees. Purvisi normally hatch on day #50 at 28 degrees, today is day #65 at 26 degrees.
No issues, no dramas, 8/8 - 100% Success.
View attachment 332623View attachment 332624View attachment 332625View attachment 332626View attachment 332627View attachment 332628

My work here is done. I will continue to post and update this thread over the next couple of weeks.

Thank you all for this great reptile forum and despite it being primarily about pythons and snakes, you didn't allow that to prevent me from participating over the last couple of years with what most of you would consider freshwater turtle spam. My apologies but sincerely, thank you.

From here-on-in I dare say I'll no longer be around here as much as I try to come to terms with the closing of this chapter of my life.
I hope you all had a Merry Christmas, I hope all your breeding efforts for 2021/22 are all coming to fruition and I wish this forum and all you fantastic herpers the very best for 2022 and beyond.

Hey Kev, I've never considered your posts as spam. As you say this is predominently a snake forum, but I also have been accepted even though I am mainly a lizard man with a few little pythons. I think these people understand passion and a general love of reptiles. I think this is the main point, we all love our reptiles no matter what shape they are. I am sorry you have lost your fight against the stupid boofocrats, Australia has lost someone with a lot of knowledge and experience because of thickheaded imbeciles.
Have you considered writing a book ? The knowledge you have shouldn't be lost to future generations.

 

[Flaviemys purvisi]

if only they could use that millions of dollars to pay someone for established captive bred animals instead of taking more gravid females from the wild @_@

Cheers mate but I don't need any of their $$, it's just not necessary, all I needed was a green light. $$ doesn't buy knowledge... a lifetime of trial and error and supreme dedication earns it. If I won lotto tonight and turned around and bought the most exp pythons in Australia, I'd still know nothing about them and how to keep, breed and rear them... but $$ is conservation. Throwing $$ at things apparently fixes them.

Hey Kev, I've never considered your posts as spam. As you say this is predominently a snake forum, but I also have been accepted even though I am mainly a lizard man with a few little pythons. I think these people understand passion and a general love of reptiles. I think this is the main point, we all love our reptiles no matter what shape they are. I am sorry you have lost your fight against the stupid boofocrats, Australia has lost someone with a lot of knowledge and experience because of thickheaded imbeciles.
Have you considered writing a book ? The knowledge you have shouldn't be lost to future generations.

Thanks mate, you're right, a lot of great people here. I will be co-writing a paper on purvis with Marc Dorse who shall have his lot of puvis for 2021 hatching within the next 3 weeks.

 

[ElapidHooks]

Hey mate, I just wanted to say thank you for all your wonderful efforts, it makes me sad to hear that you can't continue doing it, but your a real wise man and I hope you can one day pass down the secrets to other turtle enthusiasts so they can continue the fight for this species, thank you so much for everything you've done it's seriously amazing ❤

Omg I'm actually tearing up

Good morning all, today is the day...
Being my last chance to obtain data from Australia's oldest surviving and most critically endangered freshwater turtle species, I did things a little differently this year and incubated this clutch at 26 degrees, 2 degrees below the normal 28 degrees to see how it would affect the incubation duration. The general rule of thumb with turtle eggs is to add an additional week of incubation time for every degree below 28 degrees. Purvisi normally hatch on day #50 at 28 degrees, today is day #65 at 26 degrees.
No issues, no dramas, 8/8 - 100% Success.
View attachment 332623View attachment 332624View attachment 332625View attachment 332626View attachment 332627View attachment 332628

My work here is done. I will continue to post and update this thread over the next couple of weeks.

Thank you all for this great reptile forum and despite it being primarily about pythons and snakes, you didn't allow that to prevent me from participating over the last couple of years with what most of you would consider freshwater turtle spam. My apologies but sincerely, thank you.

From here-on-in I dare say I'll no longer be around here as much as I try to come to terms with the closing of this chapter of my life.
I hope you all had a Merry Christmas, I hope all your breeding efforts for 2021/22 are all coming to fruition and I wish this forum and all you fantastic herpers the very best for 2022 and beyond.

This post is making me so sad

From here-on-in I dare say I'll no longer be around here as much as I try to come to terms with the closing of this chapter of my life.

)':

You are truly an amazing man!!! Keep it up!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[adderboy]

Beats me why the authorities haven't been doing their best to encourage you. There have been numerous examples of rare species being entrusted to experienced "amateurs" rather than institutions to propagate them. I'm sorry to hear that hasn't happened in your case, but well done on your success anyway. We'll miss your posts.

 

[Flaviemys purvisi]

Today, (01/03/22) is a great day! The day on which everything I've worked for, everything I've fought for, everything I've accomplished and achieved thus far has finally been recognised and rewarded. I won't elaborate here any further; however, I will say that the show is going to go on! A 2 year battle is finally over and a huge weight has been lifted off my mind and shoulders.

 

[Benno87]

Today, (01/03/22) is a great day! The day on which everything I've worked for, everything I've fought for, everything I've accomplished and achieved thus far has finally been recognised and rewarded. I won't elaborate here any further; however, I will say that the show is going to go on! A 2 year battle is finally over and a huge weight has been lifted off my mind and shoulders.

Don’t tell me they have finally seen the light mate?