NAPPSR

North American Pelusios & Pelomedusa Studbook and Record

Over the last ten years the frequency of Pelusios and Pelomedusa entering the pet trade in North America
has increased dramatically. This is possibly to supplement the demand for exotic turtles in the pet market
with the decline of many Asian species that were common in the trade through the eighties and nineties.
Unfortunately this shift in North American imports parallels import patterns in the Chinese live animal markets
with a growing number of African species taking the place of increasingly rarer Asian species. While the threat
to native populations of African turtles is still relatively low, it would be best to take the proactive approach to
establishing the studbook while imports are still coming in relatively good numbers.

The goal of the North American Pelusios & Pelomedusa Studbook and Record (NAPPSR) is twofold.
The primary focus is the establishment of a North American studbook for both Pelusios and Pelomedusa.
This will be coordinated closely with the Pelusios and Pelomedusa studbooks already established by the
European Studbook Foundation (ESF) and will attempt to find and maintain the minimum demands of ten
unrelated specimens for each species and/or subspecies.

The secondary focus is to compile a North American Pelusios & Pelomedusa Record. The goal of the Record is to compile a database of known
Pelusios and Pelomedusa specimens in North America (both studbook and non-studbook participants). The rationale for developing such an extensive
database is that it will allow the studbook coordinators to monitor the origins and importation patterns of animals throughout N.A. These records will
serve the purpose of possibly helping to establish future breeding groups of more closely related animals (from a specific locale, country, or region)
should the need arise. Many species of Pelusios are restricted to specific geographic areas; however a few species such as P. castaneus and P. niger
have far greater distributions (thus are imported from multiple countries) that may harbor unidentified subspecies. The same multiple source imports is
true for Pelomedusa, specifically P.s. subrufa and P.s. olivacea both of which have been appearing in very high numbers and in mixed subspecies
groups at retail pet stores.

It is the hope of NAPPSR to collaborate with all persons involved with Pelusios and Pelomedusa in North America. This includes pet owners, breeders,
researchers, educators, conservationists, importers, retailers, zoos and government agencies as each can contribute vital information for understanding
the trends and patterns of Pelusios & Pelomedusa dispersion throughout North America in addition to facilitating the sharing of husbandry &
reproduction techniques.

The North American Pelusios & Pelomedusa Studbook and Record are sub-studbooks of the ESF studbooks Pelusios and Pelomedusa. It is through
close collaboration and shared expertise among North American and European keepers that our knowledge and understanding of Pelusios and
Pelomedusa in captivity will continue to growth.

Additional Goals of NAPPSR:

Coordinate the focused exchange of husbandry and breeding information between studbook participants through the NAPPSR Yahoo Group.
Participation in the NAPPSR Yahoo Group is completely voluntary.

Publicize the availability of captive bred Pelusios and Pelomedusa to interested individuals. Both Pelusios and Pelomedusa reproduce in relatively good
numbers and surplus offspring will be expected.