Ploughshare Project
A Critical Conservation Initiative
Ploughshare Project
A Critical Conservation Initiative
Our Mission
Our mission is to ensure the survival of the critically endangered Ploughshare Tortoise through well-managed ex-situ assurance colonies . The Ploughshare is endemic to a very small area in North Western Madagascar known as Baly Bay. Poaching for the Asian pet trade has brought this species to the brink of extinction. Fearing that efforts to protect this animal in-situ will ultimately be unsuccessful, The Ploughshare Project was founded to create an additional assurance colony of these animals. Captive breeding in well-managed assurance colonies will soon be this species' only hope for survival. Our state of the art breeding facility is an Affiliated Offsite Facility of The AZA Accredited Trevor Zoo in Millbrook, NY.
You Can Help!
You Can Help!
In the United States, there are 26 known Ploughshare Tortoises housed at 4 AZA accredited facilities. 1 of these tortoises, an adult male, was transferred to the Behler Chelonian Center in Ojai, California after being maintained by our very own Dr. Zovickian at his private facility for more than 30 years. Another was legally imported prior to the Ploughshare being listed as CITES I in 1975 and is housed at the Honolulu Zoo. The remainder were smuggling confiscations legally imported by the USFWS. These 26 Ploughshare Tortoises are currently distributed as follows:
Behler Chelonian Center, Ojai, CA (21)
The Knoxville Zoo (2)
The Oklahoma City Zoo (2)
Honolulu Zoo (1)
It is our belief that additional tortoises were legally imported into the US prior to the Ploughshare being CITES listed in 1975, and that those tortoises still exist in private US collections.
Our goal is to find these tortoises and work with the owners and the USFWS to get them into our assurance colony and build a successful breeding program.
If you have any information that can help us attain our goal, please contact us today !
Our Team
(the human members)
Our Team
(the human members)
Dan Sterantino
Director - The Ploughshare Project
Dan Co-Founded The Ploughshare Project along with long-time friend and colleague, Dr. William Zovickian. Dan is a life-long conservationist focusing on tortoises for the past 25 years and started The Ploughshare Project in response to the dire environmental, socioeconomic and political situation in Madagascar. The Ploughshare Project can make a difference. Dan is a Field Associate in Herpetology of the Trevor Zoo and is the Director of The Ploughshare Project.
Dr. Z with his adult female Ploughshare - 1977
Dr. William Zovickian
Director of Husbandry - The Ploughshare Project
Dr. Zovickian's work with Malagasy tortoises is known world-wide. He was the first to breed the Radiated Tortoise in the US (1972) and has also maintained Ploughshare Tortoises for more than 30 years. He is the country's foremost expert on the husbandry of these animals and is a Co-Founder of The Ploughshare Project. Dr. Zovickian is a Field Associate in Herpetology of the Trevor Zoo, and is the Director of Husbandry for The Ploughshare Project.
Gallery
Gallery
