Tortoises are among the most traded wild animals, facing significant welfare costs from collection, transport, and inappropriate captive care. Conservation and welfare goals align in reducing wild tortoise trade.
Tortoise welfare is compromised at multiple stages from wild collection through captive care. Wild capture causes extreme stress, and the physical conditions of transport — overcrowded containers, temperature extremes, and dehydration — cause mortality and injury before the animal even reaches a buyer. Wild-caught tortoises that survive transport arrive with heavy parasite burdens, suppressed immune systems, and behavioral repertoires suited to wild life that make adaptation to captive conditions challenging. The welfare solution is twofold: enforce CITES documentation requirements that restrict wild collection, and educate captive keepers about the UV-B, nutrition, and thermal requirements that allow captive tortoises to thrive rather than merely survive.