Implications of wildlife trafficking on the health and conservation efforts of an endangered turtle species in Colombia

Abstract

The Colombian slider turtle (Trachemys venusta callirostris) is an endangered species, and one of the most common reptiles admitted to wildlife facilities in Colombia due to wildlife trafficking. To identify the most common diseases at admission and identify factors affecting rehabilitation and translocation, we retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 567 individuals admitted to a wildlife facility in Bogotá, Colombia (2005–2009). In total, 70% of turtles had at least one clinical problem identified at admission, with metabolic bone disease (MBD) (40.8%), ulcerative shell disease (USD) (29%), and dysecdysis (23.9%) being the most reported. Only 44% (249/560; 7 turtles with unknown disposition were excluded) were translocated while the remaining 56% (311/560) died. We used a multivariable logistic regression and found that factors significantly associated (p