These tortoises were originally purchased in 1988 and at that time the little data that existed came from a few zoos that were keeping them.  These tortoises were set up in very large, partitioned enclosures on several acres of land in northeast Florida which partially simulates their natural habitat.  Much of the open spaces you see in some of these photos does not exist in the same quantity in their natural range.  By allowing these tortoises to have huge tracts of land, even by zoo standards, they are more inclined to act naturally and forage, soak, bask, and reproduce as they would in the wild.  In 2006 I moved the herd about 20 miles south to St. Augustine, Florida.

These are very personable animals and will follow you around like a puppy.  They are very inquisitive and not afraid of people.  That, coupled with their size and naturally slow movements have made them easy targets for hunters in their natural range who capture them for a variety of things, including food, medicine, and the pet trade.  Habitat destruction is also a major player in their demise.  These tortoises are very slow to mature and the reproductive adults are slowly being wiped out of the wild! They are currently listed as Endangered on the World Conservation Union (IUCN) red list of threatened species and is controlled by CITES, listed in Appendix II.  Click HERE to see the red list listing.