European Turtle Alliance

20/10/2026

🐢That’s a wrap on the European Turtle Alliance Conference 2026!

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us at Writtle this weekend. Whether you travelled 20 minutes or halfway around the world, we’re so grateful you took the time to be part of it!

🌎 This year we had attendees from 13 different countries! This has been our most internationally represented conference yet. It is amazing to see so many people coming together with a shared passion for turtle and tortoise conservation, welfare and research.

We hope you enjoyed the talks, made some new connections and went home with plenty to think about. A big thank you to our speakers, volunteers, exhibitors and everyone who helped make the weekend possible.

📢 What happens next? Keep an eye on our social media and mailing list for updates about ETA membership. All conference talks will be made available online for members, so there will be more to look forward to!

Thank you for being part of the ETA community. We look forward to keeping in touch and seeing you all again soon. 🐢

17/10/2026

16/10/2026

🐢 IT'S ALMOST TIME! 🐢

The European Turtle Alliance Conference 2026 starts tomorrow! 🎉

We're busy behind the scenes getting everything set up and ready for two days of talks, conservation, veterinary medicine, research & husbandry. 🐢🌍

After months of planning, we're incredibly excited to finally welcome our speakers and delegates tomorrow.

📅 17th & 18th October 2026
📍 Writtle University College, Essex

Safe travels to everyone joining us tomorrow.

We can't wait to see you! 🐢

13/10/2026

🐢 LAST CHANCE TO JOIN US! 🐢

The European Turtle Alliance Conference 2026 is just around the corner, but it’s not too late to book your place!

📅 17th & 18th October 2026
📍 Writtle University College, Essex

We have an incredible programme lined up, with speakers joining us from across the UK and around the world to discuss:

-Turtle and tortoise conservation
- Veterinary medicine & pathology
- Research & reproductive science
- Husbandry & captive breeding
- Wildlife trafficking & rewilding
- Rescue, welfare & responsible keeping
- The future of the chelonian community

And you'll be joining 130+ delegates from six countries who came together for last year's conference.

There will also be CPD opportunities, an optional laboratory workshop, trade and conservation displays, conference resources, networking and our popular Saturday evening meal.

🎟️ There are still tickets available!
https://www.turtlesurvival.eu/european-turtle-alliance-conference-2026/

Come and spend the weekend surrounded by people who are just as fascinated by turtles and tortoises as you are.

Book your place now and join us in this weekend!
We'd love to see you there. 🐢

12/10/2026

🐢 Speaker Spotlight: Luke Harding

🇸🇬 Singapore | Curator of Herpetology, Mandai Wildlife Group

We’re delighted to welcome Luke Harding to the European Turtle Alliance Conference 2026. As a conservation biologist and professional herpetologist, Luke has worked with reptiles and amphibians in major zoological collections and conservation programmes around the world.

His Talk: Unpacking the Complexities of Chelonian Care in Asia

Keeping turtles and tortoises in tropical Asia comes with its own challenges, and husbandry advice developed in Europe and North America doesn’t always translate directly. Luke will share practical experience from Mandai Wildlife Group in Singapore, exploring how to adapt care to tropical conditions and how good husbandry can support wider conservation efforts.

Luke’s experience includes:
🔹 Curator of Herpetology at Mandai Wildlife Group, home to one of the world’s largest zoological collections of reptiles and amphibians
🔹 In-situ conservation work in the Caribbean, including programmes for the Grand Cayman Blue Iguana and the critically endangered Mountain Chicken frog
🔹 Extensive experience caring for reptiles and amphibians in zoological collections
🔹 Developing practical approaches to lighting, heating, thermal gradients, nutrition and body condition scoring
🔹 Applying ex-situ husbandry expertise to conservation programmes, disease surveillance and regional capacity building

Luke will explore how understanding the needs of chelonians in tropical environments can improve their care in captivity while also contributing to conservation, from supporting threatened species to sharing knowledge and tackling emerging disease risks.

🐢A fascinating look at how local conditions shape chelonian care, and how lessons learned in zoological collections can help conservation efforts across the region.

📅 17th & 18th October 2026
📍 Writtle University College, Essex
🎓 CPD available

🔗 https://www.turtlesurvival.eu/european-turtle-alliance-conference-2026/

11/10/2026

11/10/2026

🐢 Speaker Spotlight: Tim McCormack

🇻🇳 Vietnam | Program Director, Indo-Myanmar Conservation

Tim McCormack’s route into turtle conservation started a long way from the tropics. Originally from Yorkshire, England, he studied zoology before travelling to Vietnam, where volunteering at the Turtle Conservation Centre in Cuc Phuong National Park in 2002 sparked his interest in chelonians.

Tim’s journey in conservation includes:
🔹 A BSc in Zoology from the University of Leeds
🔹 An MRes in Conservation Biology from the University of East Anglia, researching the Keeled Box Turtle (Cuora mouhotii) using radio telemetry
🔹 Developing the Asian Turtle Program through early research and awareness work focused on Vietnam’s most endangered tortoises and freshwater turtles
🔹 Becoming Program Director at Indo-Myanmar Conservation in 2015
🔹 Overseeing research, awareness activities and the ongoing development of conservation programmes

Tim has spent years working to improve understanding of some of Asia’s most threatened turtles and tortoises, combining research with awareness and conservation action on the ground.

We’re delighted to welcome him to the European Turtle Alliance Conference 2026 and look forward to hearing more about his work protecting chelonians in one of the world’s most important regions for turtle conservation. 🐢

📅 17th & 18th October 2026
📍 Writtle University College, Essex
🎓 CPD available

🔗 https://www.turtlesurvival.eu/european-turtle-alliance-conference-2026/

10/10/2026

🐢 ONE WEEK TO GO! European Turtle Alliance Conference 2026

The countdown is officially on! Just one week until the European Turtle Alliance Conference 2026 brings together turtle and tortoise enthusiasts, conservationists, veterinary professionals, researchers, keepers and specialists from across the UK and around the world. 🌍🐢

📅 17th & 18th October 2026
📍 Writtle University College, Essex

🎤 Some of the sessions you can look forward to include:

🐢 Chris & Casey Leone
Conservation Through Storytelling
Exploring the power of storytelling and media to connect people with turtle and tortoise conservation.

🐢 Dr Zach Bell
Inside a Wildlife Trafficking Case: The Journey of 106 Ryukyu Mountain Turtles
A remarkable real-world case taking us from wildlife trafficking intelligence through confiscation, rehabilitation and ultimately rewilding.

🐢 Frauke Hustinx
The German Turtle and Tortoise Community: Conservation, Private Keeping, and Rescue Centres

🐢 Dillon Prest
Chelonia in the Current UK Pet Trade
Exploring the role of the pet trade in education, rescue, rehoming and rehabilitation.

🐢 Dr Stefan Merz
Husbandry and Propagation of the Aldabra Giant Tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea)

🐢 Yik Hei Sung
Turtle Forensics in Hong Kong: Applications, Case Studies, and the Way Forward

🔬 Alessia Lavigne
Chelonia Reproductive Failure Research & Conservation

🩺 Matthew Rendle RVN
Veterinary nursing, chelonian health and a practical necropsy session

🇫🇷 Dr Pierre Moisson
Veterinarian, primatologist and Director of A Cupulatta, sharing experience from one of Europe's largest specialist chelonian centres.

🇸🇬 Luke Harding
Sharing experience from Mandai Wildlife Reserve and international zoo-based conservation.

🇬🇧 Eleanor Tirtasana Chubb
European turtle and tortoise conservation, welfare and education.

🌏 Tim McCormack
Sharing his experience from the Asian Turtle Programme and international turtle conservation.

🇦🇹 Dr Peter Praschag
Global turtle conservation, including the work of Turtle Island and international assurance colonies.

🇬🇧 Dave Perry
The Companion Animal Sector Council, Pet Know How & the Big Picture for Pet Keeping

…and more!

From wildlife trafficking and forensic science to veterinary medicine, reproductive research, captive breeding, pet keeping, rescue and global conservation, this year's programme covers an enormous range of issues facing turtles and tortoises today.

And, of course, it isn't just about the talks. 🐢

✨ CPD opportunities
🔬 Optional laboratory workshop
🛍️ Trade and conservation displays
📚 Conference notes and resources
🤝 Networking with fellow chelonian enthusiasts
🍽️ Our popular Saturday evening meal
🌍 Delegates and speakers from across the world

Last year's conference welcomed more than 130 delegates from six countries, and we're looking forward to bringing everyone together again for another fantastic weekend.

If you haven't booked yet, this is your final week to join us!

🎟️ Book your place and join us in Essex on 17th & 18th October.
https://www.turtlesurvival.eu/european-turtle-alliance-conference-2026/

Come for the talks. Stay for the conversations. Leave with a considerably longer list of things you want to research about turtles. 🐢📚

We can't wait to see you there!

08/10/2026

🐢 Speaker Spotlight: Eleanor Tirtasana Chubb

🇬🇧 United Kingdom | Chelonian Conservation & Welfare

Many of you will already know Eleanor as Chair and Lead of the European Turtle Alliance, but how did ETA get to where it is today, and what is it trying to achieve?

Her Talk: ETA: What, Where, When and Why?

Eleanor will talk about the Alliance, its work and its aims for the future, drawing on her many years working across tortoise and turtle conservation, welfare and education.

Eleanor’s work includes:
🔹 Leading the European Turtle Alliance since 2016
🔹 Founding Tortoise Welfare UK in 2012, bringing together people from across the trade, rescue, veterinary and keeper communities
🔹 More than 20 years volunteering with the Norfolk Tortoise Club, including as Secretary and Coordinator
🔹 Lecturing internationally on chelonian welfare, medicine, husbandry and conservation
🔹 Running practical workshops on hibernation, habitat design and species identification
🔹 Working with vets, zoo professionals, businesses and private keepers to improve tortoise and turtle welfare

Eleanor has spent years bringing people together from different corners of the chelonian world, with the belief that sharing knowledge and working together are vital to making a difference.

As someone who has played such a big part in developing ETA and its conference, we’re looking forward to hearing her talk about what the Alliance does, why it matters and where it hopes to go next. 🐢

📅 17th & 18th October 2026
📍 Writtle University College, Essex

https://www.turtlesurvival.eu/european-turtle-alliance-conference-2026/

06/10/2026

🐢 Speaker Spotlight: Dave Perry

🇬🇧 United Kingdom | Companion Animal Sector & Reptile Keeping

Dave Perry has been keeping reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates for over 50 years, and has seen the hobby and pet trade change enormously during that time.

His Talk: The Companion Animal Sector Council, Pet Know How & the Big Picture for Pet Keeping

Dave will talk about the work of the Companion Animal Sector Council (CASC), including its current projects, and introduce Pet Know How, an information platform developed by The Pet Charity to help people access reliable advice about keeping animals.

A little about Dave:
🔹 Co-founded Peregrine Livefoods with Tim Green in the 1980s, helping build it into a major UK livefood breeder and reptile product wholesaler.
🔹 Has a particular interest in European tortoises, Neurergus newts, silk moths and stick insects.
🔹 Has spent years working on outdoor enclosure design and natural seasonal conditions for Mediterranean tortoises.
🔹 Is currently Secretariat for CASC, a Trustee of The Pet Charity and serves on the board of the Reptile & Exotic Pet Trade Association.
🔹 Contributes to discussions on CITES, invasive species and animal welfare.

Dave’s talk will look beyond individual animals to the wider world of pet keeping, including the organisations, resources and decisions that help shape the future of the sector. It should be a really interesting session for anyone involved in keeping, caring for or working with companion animals.

📅 17th & 18th October 2026
📍 Writtle University College, Essex
🎓 CPD available

https://www.turtlesurvival.eu/european-turtle-alliance-conference-2026/