Testudostan - Our Post-Cold War Exploitation of a Noble Tortoise

A concerning article on the scale of the trade in Horsfield/Russian Tortoises 

Abstract

"From both the point of view of a person seeking a pet and from a
conversation perspective Russian tortoises are one of the worst possible
candidates available from the wild-caught reptile pet trade.

Yet, for a variety of political and economic reasons this small tortoise has
become one of the most commonly marketed species.

Since the 1970s well over one million wild-caught adult Russian tortoises
have been imported into the U.S. alone. Probably less than one or two
percent of these are alive today"

Please click "here" to read the article in full.