More than 50 poached and smuggled tortoises have been given a hopeful second chance, thanks to the extraordinary care and patience of the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital team and every conservation hero who helped bring them one step closer to home.
Johannesburg, South Africa (19 August 2026) – From the tiny speckled dwarf tortoise to the magnificent leopard tortoise, the largest tortoise in southern Africa, South Africa is home to an incredible 13 tortoise species. That’s more than any other country in the world.
Recently, the team at the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital (JWVH) found themselves with their hands full when more than 50 poached and smuggled indigenous tortoises arrived at the hospital, most of them in critical condition.
Among them were vulnerable and threatened species, including some of South Africa’s rarest tortoises. What followed was months of painstaking specialist veterinary treatment, long days and dedicated care.
The team has worked, and continues to work, tirelessly to nurse the shelled beauties back to good health, and the majority have been pulled back from the brink.
“Eventually, something we had worked towards for months became possible: these precious survivors were well enough to begin their journey home,” JWVH happily shared.
“They have now been repatriated to safe conservation holdings within their province of origin, with the ultimate goal of returning suitable individuals to protected areas within their natural ranges.”
For a country that holds more tortoise species than anywhere else on Earth, the responsibility carried by this wildlife team is enormous.
Over the years, a great deal of their time, veterinary skill and resources have gone into deepening their understanding of tortoise medicine, rehabilitation, nutrition and husbandry.
“They are extraordinarily specialised animals, and treating them successfully requires patience, knowledge and often a very long road to recovery,” the organisation said, noting that habitat loss, poaching, illegal trade and other pressures continue to take their toll on the country’s extraordinary tortoise heritage.
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These Surprising Leopards of South Africa Also Deserve Some Love!This most recent and extraordinary rescue of 50 stolen tortoises, and their eventual repatriation, was only possible because of a whole team of very special people: law-enforcement and conservation officials, veterinarians, carers, researchers, transporters, pilots and conservation partners – all of whom refused to give up on them.
Thanks to every person and effort involved, 50 tortoises have been given a second chance and a hopeful path back to the wild places where they belong.
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