Status and Conservation
Once found in Egypt and Libya, their habitat in Egypt has been all but destroyed, and Egyptian tortoises are close to complete extinction there. Two populations can still be found in Libya, but much of the coastline habitat has been destroyed because of human activity. Habitat loss and the illegal pet trade are huge issues facing the species; it is also hunted locally for use in folk medicine. Their population is still on the decline, and the risk of extinction is very real if habitat degradation and illegal trade continue at their present rate.
On the IUCN Redlist, Kleinmann's Tortoise is classified as CR A2abcd+3d. It is estimated that less than three Testudo generations ago, there were 55-56,000 adult Kleinmann's tortoises. Today, there are about 7,500 remaining, and decline due to habitat destruction and unsustainable exploitation appears to be ongoing. While it believed that the former threat is being alleviated, it is feared that illegal pet trade will have reduced to maybe 1,000 adult tortoises in the two or three remaining subpopulations. Given that T. kleinmanni is a slowly-maturing long-lived species with few offspring (see K-strategist), it is well possible that this is less than the minimum viable population, eventually dooming the species to extinction in the wild.
Mixing individuals from the subpopulations for reintroduction purposes should be avoided, as the ecological parameters of habitat differ. DNA fingerprinting of individuals to help maintain heterozygosity in captive and reintroduction populations can be performed during routine stool analyses. In this context it is notable that there may be a haplotype uniquely found in the Egyptian Tortoise.
Captive breeding requires more care than in other Testudo as the species is more delicate and the clutch is very small, but is not highly difficult for experienced Testudo breeders. T. kleinmanni is not generally available for hobbyists and even if legal to keep should be avoided without valid documentation. Smuggling continues to be a problem, but confiscated individuals are used to establish a captive safeguard population.
On May 21, 2007, Rome's main zoo, Bioparco, reported that it has successfully bred the species whose parents were rescued from a smuggler's suitcase in 2005.
Whipsnade Zoo have also saved them from the brink of extinction.
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Intercepted shipment of Libyan tortoises for the illegal pet market. Port of Genoa, 2005.
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Ditto. Now in Bioparco. Smuggling conditions are typically worse.
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Ditto.
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Ditto. Carapace fractured during smuggling.
Read more about this topic: Kleinmann's Tortoise
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