The Great Plowshare Tortoise Robbery of 1996 Speaker: Jennie Erin Smith, author of Stolen World: A Tale of Reptiles, Smugglers, and Skulduggery New York Turtle and Tortoise Society Presents Sunday January 16, The Arsenal Gallery, Central Park 65th ST, Fifth Avenue, 11:00 A.M.
Ms. Smith will be speaking about the unsolved mystery of the stolen plowshare tortoises from Madagascaran interesting, surprising, and complex whodunit, some of which is told in Stolen World. Her book will be available for signing. Jennie Smith writes: In 1996, 75 plowshare tortoises, Geochelone yniphora, were stolen from a breeding facility in Madagascar owned by the Jersey Wildlife Conservation Trust in the United Kingdom (now the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust). Plowshares were considered the most endangered tortoise species in the world at the time of the theft, which became international news and ultimately, following the emergence of some of the animals in Holland many months later, an international incident, as the governments of Holland, the United States, and Madagascar tussled over the fate of about 40 recovered animals. In reporting for my book, Stolen World, I endeavored to find out what had happened to the tortoises, traveling to Madagascar, Malaysia, and Holland, interviewing not only the investigators but some of the suspected thieves, who revealed bits and pieces of what had happened and why. The story that emerged was a surprising one, involving not just wildlife smugglers but international conservation institutions confronted with one of the most difficult tasks imaginablesaving a species in the face of corruption, greed, and dwindling resources. Unfortunately, there are no heroes in it. Save these NYTTS meeting dates for 2011: January 16, February 13, and March 13. An April date for the Annual Seminar to be announced soon. Please visit www.nytts.org.
