Murray Tessendorf of A Rocha South Africa joined the team from FreeMe Wildlife for The Tortoise Project’s very first tortoise release. The 5 Natal Hinged and 11 Eastern Hinged Tortoises released back into their natural habitat in Zululand, mark the projects first rehabilitated tortoises legally authorised to be returned to the wild.
The release of these animals is the culmination of a years work that prepared the animals to survive in their natural habitat. Ultimately the success of the project is not marked by the release, but by the tortoises ability to survive and thrive once returned to the wild. The radio transmitters attached to some of the animals will allow for regular monitoring and will help us to gauge the success of the project.