Looking for a leopard tortoise

Nile crocodiles, terrapins, tortoises and turtles.

View gallery

Re: Looking for a leopard tortoise

Postby vsabrie » Thu May 26, 2016 5:52 pm

vsabrie
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed May 13, 2015 2:43 pm
Location: Pretoria east farm

Re: Looking for a leopard tortoise

Postby Ales » Fri May 27, 2016 12:28 pm

Mitton it was R300, I laughed to myself when he told me. I have no problem obeying the law and getting permits but honestly for a R300 fine it doesn't even seem worth the time and effort. The thing that irritated me is that the natcon officials had zero care for the well being of the tortoises. They rolled up here in a toyota corola, asked me for a box, put the tortoises in their boot and told me they're taking them about an hour away, this all on a hot summers day.

On the permit it states; "Only tortoises of the same sex may be kept". I swear to you it took the man three attempts to read that sentence to me before the woman had to step in. I didn't know whether to start laughing or crying. It was all ridiculously unprofessional. A joke..
What a world....
Ales
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 488
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2009 12:12 pm
Location: Joburg

Re: Looking for a leopard tortoise

Postby vsabrie » Sat May 28, 2016 6:21 pm

Ales wrote: I didn't know whether to start laughing or crying. It was all ridiculously unprofessional. A joke..


That seems to be the general feeling when dealing with them
vsabrie
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed May 13, 2015 2:43 pm
Location: Pretoria east farm

Re: Looking for a leopard tortoise

Postby Inyanga » Tue May 31, 2016 1:28 pm

One wishes they would work WITH you, but it seems they prefer to make it more feasible to keep your head down.
Inyanga
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 59
Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2012 11:39 am

Re: Looking for a leopard tortoise

Postby Ales » Wed Jun 01, 2016 1:50 pm

Inyanga wrote:One wishes they would work WITH you, but it seems they prefer to make it more feasible to keep your head down.


That's exactly right..
What a world....
Ales
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 488
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2009 12:12 pm
Location: Joburg

Re: Looking for a leopard tortoise

Postby vsabrie » Thu Jun 02, 2016 12:04 pm

Does anyone have any advice for me? I received a pm from this forum with a number who referred me to freeme but they don't get back to me. Does anyone here know of any other legal source?
vsabrie
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed May 13, 2015 2:43 pm
Location: Pretoria east farm

Re: Looking for a leopard tortoise

Postby Sico » Fri Jun 03, 2016 2:00 pm

Image
Mark
Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, experience usually comes from bad judgment.
User avatar
Sico
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 1092
Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2008 2:15 pm
Location: Randburg and the rest of the continent

Re: Looking for a leopard tortoise

Postby michael » Mon Jun 06, 2016 12:38 pm

Wow I cant believe how difficult Gauteng is. In the Eastern Cape you go to an animal shelter where any confiscated tortoises are taken, you express interest in a tortoise. Nat Con does an inspection to see that the tortoises will be ok in you care and a permit is issued, done!! You may also only have same sexed animals but you can have a few if space allows.
Michael Burmeister
Psalm 115 v 1
michael
Forum gatekeeper
 
Posts: 570
Joined: Thu Mar 18, 2010 12:18 pm

Re: Looking for a leopard tortoise

Postby vsabrie » Tue Jun 07, 2016 9:35 am

:D :D :D :D :D
Finally I am getting somewhere. Freeme is assisting me with the permit applications. Yippee.

Can Bushviper please advise me if as a THA member the same sex only rule, does it apply or not? And if I get opposite sex and they have babies, what to do with them? Many thanks for reading my struggles
vsabrie
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed May 13, 2015 2:43 pm
Location: Pretoria east farm

Re: Looking for a leopard tortoise

Postby vsabrie » Tue Jun 07, 2016 9:55 am

And also a question about enclosure size. I came across a American site that said 14 square meters for a grown tortoise and an additional 7 for every tortoise added. This sounds a bit small to me? I have 40 square meters. I think maybe 2 or 3 in that space? Any thoughts?
vsabrie
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed May 13, 2015 2:43 pm
Location: Pretoria east farm

Re: Looking for a leopard tortoise

Postby Bushviper » Tue Jun 07, 2016 7:36 pm

The rules are drawn up by Nature Conservation so they will eventually decide what they require in each case.
It is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

Those who are afraid to ask are ashamed of learning.
User avatar
Bushviper
Founder Member
 
Posts: 17358
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2005 10:02 am
Location: Pretoria

Re: Looking for a leopard tortoise

Postby vsabrie » Mon Jun 27, 2016 11:23 am

Ok so after receiving the ever elusive letter, I was just informed a rehabilitation center can't supply tortoises to the public.

S.H.!.T so now what to do?????????

So if I wanted a tiger that's fine but please just not a deadly dangerous tortoise. Makes sense.
vsabrie
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed May 13, 2015 2:43 pm
Location: Pretoria east farm

Re: Looking for a leopard tortoise

Postby vsabrie » Thu Jul 07, 2016 12:01 pm

So I have run out of legal options :smt013 . How can it be this difficult to go about this legally???
So what is the next best option? Unpemitted captive bred perhaps? Or someone looking to rehome their unpermitted tortoise and then once I have one, retry the whole journey of getting a permit again? :smt017

Again I'm open to any advice or suggestions
vsabrie
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed May 13, 2015 2:43 pm
Location: Pretoria east farm

Re: Looking for a leopard tortoise

Postby vsabrie » Fri Jul 22, 2016 7:43 pm

Ok finally spoke to the correct person at Jhb zoo and on a waiting list, number 15 in line, she also tells me in the last 6 months they received one that was returned to the owner after she got a permit, so not really sure if anything will come of that before I'm grey, unless they bust a huge smuggeling ring(one can only dream)
vsabrie
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed May 13, 2015 2:43 pm
Location: Pretoria east farm

Re: Looking for a leopard tortoise

Postby vsabrie » Thu Nov 10, 2016 9:15 am

Ok so after giving up on my conquest, and telling anybody who would listen of my struggles, family we have not seen for many many years, said they have one for me, that they have had for about 5 years. They had two but one escaped. I ask what type, they say a baby of one of those big ones :shock: . They received the baby from a friend after a dog chewed on it. After fetching the tortoise, it turns out to be a kalahari tent tortoise( not the same as their escapee which most likely was a leopard, as the story was their grandchildren rode on the parents) anyway. So understandably I'm ecstatic to rehome the tiny tortoise. The tortoise is no longer on a lettuce and cabbage diet, but as natural one as possible. And looking very happy and healthy, in its much much bigger enclosure.

So I am content I finally have my own tortoise :D .

Then yesterday about a month after getting "ou skillietjie" (my daughter named him). My dog finds a leopard tortoise in my garden :?: We have lived here for 20 years and although we fall within their natural range, with all the people around we have never seen one or even heard of someone seeing one. I suspect he is most likely a escapee. He is roughly about 25 to 30cm long.

So from struggling to get one to having 2 within a month.
Just thought I'd update the post. Don't know if I should apply for a permit for the leopard yet or just hang on for a while. I know I will never get a permit for the tent, but I'm ok with that.
vsabrie
SA Reptiles Member
 
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed May 13, 2015 2:43 pm
Location: Pretoria east farm

PreviousNext

Return to Indigenous chelonians and crocodilians

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest

cron