For four decades, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust has been working to save one of the world’s rarest reptiles—the ploughshare tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora), also known locally as the angonoka.
Launched in 1986 by Gerald and Lee Durrell, the conservation programme marks its 40th anniversary this year after helping secure the future of a species found only in a small corner of north-western Madagascar.
Today, Durrell manages the world’s largest captive population of ploughshare tortoises, caring for almost 1,000 animals across two breeding centres and having successfully released more than 100 tortoises into the wild before poaching pressures forced a temporary halt to reintroductions.
A tortoise worth $100,000 to wildlife traffickers
The ploughshare tortoise is restricted to the bamboo scrub and dry forests of Baly Bay National Park.
Its distinctive shell makes it one of the world’s most sought-after reptiles in the illegal wildlife trade, with exceptional specimens reportedly selling for up to $100,000 on the black market.
Four decades of challenges
Durrell achieved the first successful captive breeding of the species in Madagascar in 1987, but conservation efforts have repeatedly been threatened by wildlife crime.
In 1996, thieves stole 75 tortoises from the organisation’s breeding centre, prompting major security upgrades including reinforced fencing, armed guards and shell engraving to discourage illegal trade.
A second attempted raid in 2016 targeted the facility’s power supply to disable its alarm system. Durrell responded by installing solar-powered backup systems to strengthen site security.
Protecting both tortoises and communities
In 2017, the organisation suspended further releases into the wild because poaching pressure had become too great.
Since then, efforts have focused on safeguarding the captive population, protecting habitat within Baly Bay National Park and supporting anti-poaching operations in partnership with Madagascar National Parks.
Over the past five years alone, Durrell has invested more than £2 million in the programme. The project also supports local livelihoods, employing 23 community members in conservation work and funding 27 additional rangers involved in anti-poaching patrols.
Despite repeated setbacks—including two powerful cyclones that damaged conservation facilities in 2026—Durrell says it remains committed to returning ploughshare tortoises to the wild when conditions are once again safe.
