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Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project

@thetortoiseproject.bsky.social

360 followers 250 following 250 posts

Writing a book on the amazing lives and worlds of tortoises and the people dedicated to saving them around the world. Due out in fall 2026, by WW Norton.

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Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project @thetortoiseproject.bsky.social · Apr 15

Dispatch from Aldabra: Tortoise dung is one of the great pillars of Aldabra’s ecosystem — supporting all manner of life and ecological processes.
Loved writing this for
@smithsonianmag.bsky.social.

www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

Thousands of Giant Tortoises Anchor a Thriving Ecosystem on Aldabra, a Remote Atoll in the Indian Ocean

The animals graze the vegetation into a picturesque turf, fertilize the soil with their dung and disperse seeds over large distances

www.smithsonianmag.com

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Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project @thetortoiseproject.bsky.social · 1d

Listen to Jane Goodall’s words — released after her death. “Choose the difference that you want to make.”

KOJAMF🤘🖤🤘 @kojamf.bsky.social · 3d

Dr. Jane Goodall filmed an interview with Netflix in March 2025 that she understood would only be released after her death.

Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project @thetortoiseproject.bsky.social · 1d

Slow and steady? Try fast and flashy. In Venezuela, they’re painting tortoises and racing them for prizes in a colorful celebration of St. Francis day. The crowd cheers, lettuce waves, and one 20‑year‑old shell‑champ named Roberto crosses the finish line in style.
www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstor...

Painted tortoises race for prizes in colorful Venezuelan celebration

Residents of San Francisco de Asis in Venezuela's Aragua state celebrated the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi on Friday, October 3, with a tortoise race featuring 80 painted and decorated competi...

www.gmanetwork.com

Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project @thetortoiseproject.bsky.social · 7d

Profound words on democracy — seen in a Bangladeshi newspaper. “Our goal is clear: to create a democratic order where power is balanced, where no autocrat can ever return, where no elected leader can destroy democracy …”

Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project @thetortoiseproject.bsky.social · 7d

Bangladesh Journal: On the 14th floor of the Marriott in Dhaka, I found the metaphor I was looking for.

Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project @thetortoiseproject.bsky.social · 7d

Bangladesh Journal: Dhaka's Turtle Conservation Center is home to several species of turtles and tortoises — it's a breeding and rearing facility. Caesar Rahman introduced me to a few of the stars. Here: an Asian forest tortoise (Manouria emys).

Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project @thetortoiseproject.bsky.social · 9d

The Tortoise Project is on the move again — now in Dhaka, Bangladesh. So far, rickshaws are everywhere and tortoises nowhere. But that will soon change.

Reposted by Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project

Ben Goldfarb @bengoldfarb.bsky.social · 12d

Whoa, wildlife crossings got the Nathan Pyle treatment! Honestly, given what we know about the social lives of ungulate herds, the complexity of their spatial memories, and the importance of the lead female in dictating behavior, he’s not too far off. #roadecology

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Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project @thetortoiseproject.bsky.social · 12d

Aw shucks — would have been great to see you! But alas you would not have found us home because we are in South Africa at the moment.

Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project @thetortoiseproject.bsky.social · 12d

Yes — what @fuchsiarius.bsky.social said! We’re at the end of an amazing experience in South Africa.

Fuchsiarius | R. Theo Margelony @fuchsiarius.bsky.social · 12d

Totsiens, Kapstad! Starting on the long trek home to the PNW this morning as our glorious adventures in one of the world’s most richest floral kingdoms comes to an end. The diversity of plants we saw just in Namaqualand and the Karoo has been amazing. 1/2

#CapeTown viewed from #TableMountain. #SouthAfrica

Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project @thetortoiseproject.bsky.social · 12d

Voting in Seychelles today — development on Assumption island could sway the outcome. I saw the beginning stages of construction, in January, and this really is bad news. Trigger alert: photo of crushed giant #tortoise.
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Seychelles election: The row over Assumption Island could decide next president

India, Qatari royals, China and ecologists have their own, very different, views on Assumption Island's future.

www.bbc.com

Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project @thetortoiseproject.bsky.social · 12d

The charms of Indigo snakes — www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/2...

What is the largest snake in Alabama? Meet the giant that eats rattlesnakes

Meet Alabama’s longest snake: a gentle giant that hunts rattlesnakes, lives in sandy burrows and is protected by law. Have you seen one?

www.montgomeryadvertiser.com

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Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project @thetortoiseproject.bsky.social · Sep 3

A beautiful landscape from #TASBAQA

Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project @thetortoiseproject.bsky.social · Sep 3

Homeland of the Central Asian Tortoise in #TASBAQA

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Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project @thetortoiseproject.bsky.social · Sep 3

What does a Central Asian Tortoise do all day, anyway? This documentary by Saxon Bosworth will tell you. The sad news is that this trailer is all we get for now. When the film comes out on streaming, I'll let you know! #TASBAQA

A Day in the Life of a Central Asian Tortoise - Аналитический интернет-журнал Власть

Осы мақаланың қазақша нұсқасын оқыңыз. Читайте этот материал на русском.

vlast.kz

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Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project @thetortoiseproject.bsky.social · Aug 31

Bluesky is becoming the go-to for scientists ditching the noise of X. More civility, more engagement, and way more clicks. #scicomm #BlueskyScience

www.wired.com/story/bluesk...

Scientists Are Flocking to Bluesky

Academics once loved Twitter—but in the age of X they’ve abandoned it in droves.

www.wired.com

Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project @thetortoiseproject.bsky.social · Aug 26

Hatching success! India's Manipur Zoological Garden welcomes 28 baby Asian Giant tortoises (Manouria emys phayrei). This tortoise — inhabitant of the forest — is the region's largest. Congrats!

nenow.in/north-east-n...

Manipur Zoological Garden successfully hatches Asian Giant Tortoises for the first time

Manipur Zoological Garden, with India Turtle Conservation Program successfully conducted first artificial incubation of Asian Giant Tortoises

nenow.in

Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project @thetortoiseproject.bsky.social · Aug 20

Kenya Journal: We found a beautiful Pancake tortoise this morning at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. We got its stats, notched it, and returned it to its crevice.

Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project @thetortoiseproject.bsky.social · Aug 20

#MyBlueDot — The Tortoise Project goes to Kenya.

Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project @thetortoiseproject.bsky.social · Aug 14

Kenya Diary: you don’t have to guess how Pancake tortoises (Malacochersus tornieri) got their name. Adapted to life in a narrow crevice.

Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project @thetortoiseproject.bsky.social · Aug 14

Amazing Pancake tortoises. The team marks and tags each one before returning them to their crevice. Each gets a soak and a chance to tank up on water first.

Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project @thetortoiseproject.bsky.social · Aug 14

Kenya Diary: First day in the field on a Pancake tortoise survey. We discovered 10 living in a rock crevice.

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Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project @thetortoiseproject.bsky.social · Aug 9

Hey @fuchsiarius.bsky.social, can you name it?

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Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project @thetortoiseproject.bsky.social · Aug 9

Wonder No. 2: Fuchsias

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Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project @thetortoiseproject.bsky.social · Aug 9

Wonder No. 1: Tortoises!

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Kevin Gepford | The Tortoise Project @thetortoiseproject.bsky.social · Aug 9

Dateline: Nairobi. The Tortoise Trail has led me to Kenya to see its amazing pancake tortoises. But first, a day of rest. Jetlag. My hotel has an amazing garden full of wonders.

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