Four tortoises now safe with us!
Our wildlife centre in Ethiopia doesn’t just rescue lions and cheetahs, we’re also a safe haven for dozens of tortoises, including four newcomers.
Giant tortoises at Ensessa Kotteh © Blake McGrow
You might be surprised, but every species matters to Born Free, and our remarkable Ensessa Kotteh team, Born Free’s Wildlife Rescue, Conservation and Education Centre in Ethiopia, has been busy rescuing tortoises in need.
Tortoises rescued in February 2024
Across the globe, tortoises are taken from the wild and heavily targeted to meet the demands of the wildlife trade. Sadly, they are destined for a lifetime in confinement as a ‘pet’, for human consumption, or their parts used in traditional medicines. Tortoises are also threatened by habitat destruction and are in competition with domestic livestock for food and space. In Ethiopia, we see tortoises being kept as pets, likely having been taken from the wild, they are also traded internationally from, and via, Ethiopia.
Ensessa Kotteh is currently home to 77 rescued tortoises including the African Spurred tortoise, classified Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Bell’s hinge-back tortoises and Leopard tortoises.
“Most of our tortoises have been rescued having been kept as pets and abandoned, confiscated directly from the wildlife trade, or even found roaming around and scavenging from rubbish tips,” explains Bereket Girma, Born Free’s Country Director in Ethiopia. “Worryingly, a significant number of the tortoises in our care had been purchased by expatriates, including diplomats and their families, and then deserted when they were posted out of the country.”
The tortoise rescued in July 2024
In February 2024, three adult tortoises were rescued from Bishoftu, south of Addis Ababa, having been abandoned by their owners. The two Leopard tortoises and one African Spurred tortoise were being kept illegally at a restaurant, having likely been taken from the wild. They were subsequently abandoned when the building was demolished, left in an area with very little vegetation in a busy town, which means their chances of survival would have been low, or they could have ended up in the hands of wildlife traders.
The Ensessa Kotteh team collected the tortoises and brought them to the Centre where they were given a full health check. They were dehydrated and clearly had not been eating an appropriate diet. In the days following, it became apparent they had ingested a significant amount of plastic which they excreted over several days. Thankfully, the tortoises recovered well and, after completing a period in quarantine, were introduced to live with our other rescued tortoises.
© Zacharias Abubeker
In mid-July 2024, the team responded to another report of an African Spurred tortoise in need. This report came from a former Diplomat who had lived in a property in Addis Ababa, rented by his Embassy and with the tortoise already in residence. The Embassy subsequently ceased renting the property, after which time the previously grassed area was concreted over by the new tenants. He and his family were aware of the plight of the tortoise and requested assistance from Born Free. Now safely at Ensessa Kotteh, the tortoise will undergo 30 days in quarantine before joining our other rescued tortoises.
Many of our rescued tortoises live in the same enclosures as rescued cheetah at Ensessa Kotteh. They help to control the parasites which cheetah can often be susceptible to. There is something naturally symbiotic when the world’s slowest animals help to keep the world’s fastest animals healthy and safe, by living together!