Thousands of tortoises rescued after sanctuary floods Thousands of critically endangered tortoises were swept away from their sanctuary and left swimming for their lives after massive floods.
(Lavavolo Tortoise Center via AP)] The 12,000 radiated and spider tortoises had been confiscated from illegal wildlife traffickers but faced a new and unexpected ordeal when Cyclone Dikeledi hit the southern part of the Indian Ocean island in mid-January.
(Lavavolo Tortoise Center via AP)] Sanctuary staff, members of the community and even police officers joined together in a rescue operation, wading through the water with large containers to collect the bewildered tortoises.
The community near the Lavavolo Tortoise Center in southern Madagascar pulled together to help the creatures who were left terrified after a cyclone hit the region.
While most of the tortoises have been returned to the sanctuary, the floods were a blow to the centre, which has lost much of its infrastructure, said the Turtle Survival Alliance.
