Welcome

About Us

BY SHIRLEY NEELY

I have always loved animals, especially the unusual ones.As a child I collected: little fishes from the pond in the park, spiders, beetles, caterpillars and insects of all kindsI was very upset when, each evening, my mother made me set them free.Now I realise how right she was and how cruel it was to keep wild things captive like that.I also had a tortoise many many years ago. Bought from the local petshop, with no advice as to care or diet, sadly it died the first year

The vast majority of the hundreds of thousands of tortoises brought into the country in those days died within a couple of years. Not because their owners didn’t love them but because there was not enough information around to enable us to look after them properlyThe lucky ones were those placed in a weedy garden and left to their own devices. Living practically wild like this, they are the ones who still survive today.

In 1984 the importation ban was brought in.It was a good day for the wild tortoise population.Importation still goes on. But this is strictly controlled by CITES.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I started to keep tortoises seriously about 15 years ago and it was then that I realised how little I knew. Different species, different diet, different care.

Where do you start?

My vet was wonderful and to this day we share new information and tips. He was the person who encouraged me to start the Tortoise Sanctuary. I had been taking sick tortoises from the surgery and hand feeding them until they were fit to go back home. Time consuming work but very rewarding. We were aware that there was no-one on the island who would care for your tortoise during holidays or emergencies. No-one who would tube or hand feed a tortoise which was first to leave the vets but whose owners did not feel confident enough to cope.

And so the idea was born. The sanctuary was actually registered by The States of Jersey in 1992 but is not a registered charity as such. As my own treasured pets grew in number, the unwanted, sick, lost and confiscated tortoises started to arrive.

My garden turned into a series of enclosures with heated green houses and all the pretty shrubs and flower beds were replaced by edible plants and weeds.We have a purpose built reptile house at the bottom of the garden where the old wash-house used to be.

I joined The Tortoise Trust at that time and have been a faithful follower ever since. The information is endless, the advice always forthcoming and you know you get the correct information.

There is much misleading and conflicting advice on the internet and people can easily become confused trying to separate the wheat from the chaff.

The Sanctuary is affiliated to the JSPCA (the local equivalent) of the RSPCA and we receive help and support from them whenever we need it. We also take all the stray tortoises handed into the shelter and, if not claimed within a certain time, rehome them to carefully vetted homes.

Luckily my husband is very supportive and has helped me every inch of the way.

A few years ago we started to re-home tortoises from CITES. These are tortoises confiscated by Customs and need to be rehomed in the UK. One consignment of Russian tortoises (Testudo Horsfieldi) were 700 in number and it was a mammoth task for CITES and the Tortoise Trust, along with other rehoming organisations.

We brought 150 here to rehome in the island and I’m happy to report that they are doing very well. Some of them were sick and needed special care but the majority are now leading very happy lives.I still have a group of 8 here and am looking forward to out first babies, possibly later this year....

We have also rehomed groups of Leopard tortoises (25 large) and also North African Graeca Gracea (24 adult)

IMPORTANT NOTICE

This web-site is protected under international copyright laws and is the property of The Tortoise Sanctuary. Any unauthorised copying or transmission of its contents in full or in part is prohibited without prior permission of the author. Schools, colleges and universities are allowed to use the contents for educational purposes.