Slow tortoises pay the price...

It is quite sad and disheartening to see the human pursuit of food and entertainment result in such destruction. Tortoises are, like all others, beautiful creatures that enliven nature.

Tortoise's Beauty Contributing to Its Downfall : Discovery News: "Entire regions were found to be devoid of the tortoises. Locals informed the scientists that armed bands of poachers had taken away truckloads of tortoises to supply open meat markets in towns such as Beloha and Tsihombe. Remains of the poached tortoises were also found at processing sites where authorities recently seized the meat.

“Areas where scores of radiated tortoises could be seen just a few years ago have been poached clean,” said James Deutsch, director of the WCS's Africa Program. “Back then, one could hardly fathom that this beautiful tortoise could ever become endangered, but such is the world we live in, and things can – and do – change rapidly.”"