On July 22 2011, DEC and the Perth Zoo released 30 captive-bred young tortoises between 2 and 7 years of age at Moore River National Park, site of last year’s release. Around half had radio-tracking devices attached to the shell. This year's event was not open to members of the public.
Last year most of the tortoises were subsequently taken back to the zoo, due to low water levels and these animals were re-released at the site this time.

On August 6 2011, 33 more young tortoises were released at Twin Swamps Nature Reserve and 12 of these had radio-tracking devices. The WA Environment Minister Bill Marmion attended, along with a good crowd of Friends, DEC and Zoo staff and the event was covered by The Sunday Times and local paper The Echo. See the photo gallery for images of this release.

On Saturday July 31 2010, 15 captive-bred Western Swamp Tortoises were released at a site in Moore River National Park, north of Perth. In attendance was a group of 38 adults and 12 children, comprising members of the Friends group, staff from Perth Zoo, Department of Environment and Conservation, IGA supermarkets (a major Zoo sponsor) and University of WA postgraduates studying the tortoise, supervised by principal scientist Gerald Kuchling, along with Jacqui Maguire and Craig Olejnik from DEC. This was the second release in the area, with 30 animals translocated to the site last year.

The release site was accessible only by 4WD and by further walking for 10 minutes through an area of occasionally thick vegetation and—at the swamp’s edge—glutinous, clayey mud. The kids in the group loved the latter!

Originally 30 tortoises were to be released but due to lower than expected water levels, half were held back. If more rain falls the remainder will be released in a couple of weeks. Changing rainfall patterns are one of the main challenges facing these tortoises, Gerald explained.

The latest group of tortoises were all fitted with radio-transmitting devices—which made them slightly resemble remote-controlled model cars! However, the animals seemed untroubled by the small antennas glued on their shells and seemed focussed on getting into the water as quickly as possible. They will be monitored over the next few months to ensure they are all surviving and thriving before the summer aestivation period begins. It is hoped that along with the previous year’s animals these tortoises will form a new and stable population in an area distinct from the existing ones at Ellen Brook, Twin Swamps and Mogumber.

The AGM and Christmas party of the Friends of the Western Swamp Tortoise was held on Saturday, 5 December 2009, and I am pleased to announce the continued commitment of the Executive Committee, who were all unanimously re-elected. Congratulations to continuing Chairperson Jan Bant, Vice-Chair Tanya Marwood and Treasurer Bob Height. We don't have a minute secretary as yet, but if you feel you could attend the meetings (bi-monthly) and take brief notes, we would be happy to welcome you to this position. Everyone is welcome at the regular meetings, which are announced to members by email.

Thanks to Bradie, tortoise keeper at the Perth Zoo, for a very informative session following the AGM. We were able to see some mature tortoises undergoing an ultrasound examination for the presence of eggs. We also looked at the incubators and the current clutches of eggs awaiting hatching.

Our events calendar for 2009 is now completed, but several of us will be working over the summer break to acquit grants, update the website and bring you the next edition of Tortoise Tales. There are some exciting activities planned for 2010, and we will be notifying you as they come up.

All the best for Christmas and the New Year.

Jan Bant

Chairperson

In collaboration with our sponsors, Edgecombe Brothers Winery, we held a very successful ‘Foodlovers’ Tour of the Swan Valley’ in March 2009. Our guide, Julie, took us to some of the unsung local venues for everything from fresh vegetables to fig jam.

We held a very successful meeting in March, with guest speaker Amy from SERCUL telling us all about stormwater. We are planning to stencil tortoises on the drains in the Ellenbrook area to remind homeowners about the impacts of pollution in the stormwater on the tortoises’ habitat. One of the participants in the stormwater meeting was Gane Doyle from the WA Reptile Park in Henley Brook, who kindly allowed us to erect a display at the park, and leave our brochures for visitors.

July 2009 was the 5^th anniversary of the Friends group, and a small celebration was held at the July meeting.

The past year was again difficult for the Western Swamp Tortoise Recovery Team. This time, added to the funding issues faced, several key personnel moved on. The position of Chair of the Recovery Team has not been filled, with a subsequent lack of leadership on the programs. This has impacted on the Friends group again—there was only one planting event in 2009 and no other on-ground works for much of the year. No FoWST members attended the release at Moore River, as it was during the working week.

We were offered one of the final grants for the Threatened Species Network. We were very appreciative of the extra money, which is earmarked to rehabilitate a newly acquired corridor between Lake Wannamal and the Mogumber property where Western Swamp Tortoises have been released for the past couple of years.

The Zoo is still breeding tortoises and hatchling number 1000 will be shell notched (for identification) in 2010. This is a significant milestone for the program, and one of which the Zoo can be justly proud.

Our activities have generated a lot of interest this year and we have picked up many new members. Our website continues to generate lots of hits, with weekly analysis showing interest from all corners of the globe. Thanks to Bob and Tanya for their hard work updating the site when needed.

Thanks to all our dedicated Committee members for their continued hard work and great ideas to help the tortoise.

As we move through spring and into summer the Western Swamp Tortoises are also on the move, out of the drying swamps and into aestivation tunnels. Aestivation is a type of hibernation that occurs over summer and the tortoises use natural or artificial aestivation tunnels. Aestivation protects the tortoises from the hot Western Australian summer and any bushfires that may occur. It is also the place where eggs are laid and incubated for hatching the following winter.