Fascinating Snake-Necked Turtles from Australia, New Guinea and Indonesia

Snake-necked. long-necked, side-necked.... This is what they are usually called. But there is one thing in common: their fascinating long neck in comparison to the lenght of the body. Unlike most other turtles, the neck and head is not withdrawn under the carapace, but rather is folded sideways beteen the carapace and the plastron. The distribution of snake-necked turtles of the Genus Chelodina and Macrochelodina is restricted to Australasia where they are found in Australia, New Guinea and parts of Indonesia (Irian Jaya and Roti island).
Most snakenecks adapt easily to captive living if some general rules are kept. Once you have seen a snake-necked turtle begging for food and almost falling out of the tank, you know why you love them !

Now check out the following pages to learn everything about diet, breeding, captive husbandry, health problems and more. In the species section you will find details about the turtles I am keeping myself now for many years.

Oliver Roempp
Germany
July 2003

CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

Widespread information nowadays about the endangered status of many prominent species, such as the tiger and elephants, might make the need for such a convention seem obvious. But at the time when the ideas for CITES were first formed, in the 1960s, international discussion of the regulation of wildlife trade for conservation purposes was something relatively new. With hindsight, the need for CITES is clear. Annually, international wildlife trade is estimated to be worth billions of dollars and to include hundreds of millions of plant and animal specimens. The trade is diverse, ranging from live animals and plants to a vast array of wildlife products derived from them, including food products, exotic leather goods, wooden musical instruments, timber, tourist curios and medicines. Levels of exploitation of some animal and plant species are high and the trade in them, together with other factors, such as habitat loss, is capable of heavily depleting their populations and even bringing some species close to extinction. Many wildlife species in trade are not endangered, but the existence of an agreement to ensure the sustainability of the trade is important in order to safeguard these resources for the future.

Because the trade in wild animals and plants crosses borders between countries, the effort to regulate it requires international cooperation to safeguard certain species from over-exploitation. CITES was conceived in the spirit of such cooperation. Today, it accords varying degrees of protection to more than 30,000 species of animals and plants, whether they are traded as live specimens, fur coats or dried herbs.

CITES was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of IUCN (The World Conservation Union). The text of the Convention was finally agreed at a meeting of representatives of 80 countries in Washington DC., United States of America, on 3 March 1973, , and on 1 July 1975 CITES entered in force. The original of the Convention was deposited with the Depositary Government in the Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish languages, each version being equally authentic.

CITES is an international agreement to which States (countries) adhere voluntarily. States that have agreed to be bound by the Convention ('joined' CITES) are known as Parties. Although CITES is legally binding on the Parties – in other words they have to implement the Convention – it does not take the place of national laws. Rather it provides a framework to be respected by each Party, which has to adopt its own domestic legislation to ensure that CITES is implemented at the national level.

For many years CITES has been among the conservation agreements with the largest membership, with now 172 Parties.

Dear Freshwater turtle breeder/enthusiast!

The European Freshwater Turtle Breeders’ Association was founded in late 2006.
We are an international association of very effective and successful breeders of freshwater turtle species but also accept the membership of persons, who are interested in these species without wanting to keep or breed them. Our main goal is breeding all freshwater turtle species of the world. So far our members have managed to breed as many as 100 species, even worldwide first-time breedings being among them! Our members receive our quarterly journal „EMYS“
(named after the only living freshwater turtle species in Central Europe). This journal is published entirely in English and has a very good reputation throughout Europe although it was published in German until late 2006. It is printed in high quality and in colour and due to its ISSN-Number it is internationally citeable.
The spectrum of „EMYS“ mainly includes breeding reports of freshwater turtle species and on rare occasions tortoise species, programs of our monthly meetings in many European cities, reports on natural habitats of turtle species, and much more. We are sure that you will always find something interesting in our issues.
We will organize monthly turtle meetings in many European cities. So far meetings in Vienna, Paris, Budapest, and Treviso are planned. Once a year we organize a two-day long annual meeting. High-quality oral presentations are given there by high-grade speakers from all over the world but mainly from Europe. The main language of these annual meetings is English, of course. Additionally two to three special workshops on selected freshwater turtle groups are held in various European cities. These workshops are co-organized by EFTBA and Chelonia 2002 turtle center, a private turtle project run by Harald Artner from Austria.

First of all, an extensive share of information and experiences should be guaranteed in our association. In order to achieve this goal, we want to bring the most successful freshwater turtle breeders into our association. So far the number 1 turtle breeders from Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Italy are members of EFTBA. If we succeed in increasing our knowledge about freshwater turtles and in breeding them through our association, then the idea and aims of its founders will be successful. We also plan to form as many breeding groups of freshwater turtle species as possible and thus are helpful in
finding missing or additional turtle specimens for your breeding groups. All these benefits are offered for only Euro 35.- per year annual membership fee!
Please be advised that as a member besides paying your membership fee it is also your duty to send us a complete breeding report of all turtles you bred during a current year at the end of each year. Of course, your data are treated confidentially and are only published in our annual breeding statistics, thus your personal data remain totally anonymous.