Tortoise Sanctuary — Attraction in Changuu

Please look after these tortoises more. We were so sad to see how they were treated. our guide told us when we went in not to feed the tortoises at the front because everyone feeds them and they never move. As we went in, everyone was feeding a handful of tortoises at the front who looked over weight and no staff were telling them not to despite being sat 2 meters away. There were not any staff walking around the enclosure checking on the animals and making sure they were not being mistreated. Tour guides were tickling them under the armpits to get them to stand up and pose for photos. The enclosure is baron, there appeared to be only one small muddy pool of water down in a pit, that was really difficult for the tortoises to get to, and a small puddle. There was plastic on the floor that they could eat. All the babies are kept in a tiny cage to stop people stealing them. There was no space, they were crawling all over each over and we were told they spend about 3 years in there until they are big enough not to be stolen.

It wouldn’t take much to make this into a real sanctuary - a clean environment, plenty of fresh water, rules on how tourists and guides interact with the tourists and welfare officers enforcing them and making sure the animals are healthy.

The animals welfare must come first ahead of pleasing tourists. Please invest more in making this a responsible...

Who are these people giving 4 and 5 stars?! Yes the tortoises are incredible but their conditions are abhorrent. Strings of plastic from disintegrated woven sandbags, bits of wrappers and other rubbish is literally EVERYWHERE. You can watch them eat it! You can scoop it up by the handful. The staff absolutely don’t care and rolled their eyes when I asked why. Hideous tourists abusing the animals and again, staff doing nothing. By staff, I mean one thug at reception hoping for a tip for doing nothing. Tour guides from the boats leading the animal abuse for their tip. Young tortoises (about 100!) are locked in a concrete 10x 6 cage for their first 5 Year’s....maybe to avoid theft?! No folliage or soft surface for them. I’d bet anything a sizeable enough tip would get you the key. I’d also bet anything a biologist, vet or animal nutritionist has never been invited to site and should one happen along by coincidence I’m sure they’d assess the operators of this attraction are clearly so disinterested in welfare that their efforts no matter how altruistic would be met with silence. Perhaps at have tried and that’s exactly what happened.

You should definitely go because the tortoises deserve your financial support and they are incredible in spite of their Environment but then use your voice...

Not a sanctuary.

I was quite excited to see the tortoise but was really disappointed with how they were looked after.

Considering around 500 people visit the island a day, each paying entry, drinks and food costing 10x what they do on the mainland, you'd think they'd invest some of that back into making a humane environment for these incredible animals.

Theres a small concrete and metal cage with a hundred hatchlings crammed in like sardines.

A couple of tortoise were mating which I found entertaining from a distance but it was ruined by a group of tourists loudly stomping over to pet and force cabbage in their faces while they were at it.

I saw a child stood ontop of another tortoise while her parents clapped and took photos.

The fenced off grounds to the sanctuary is huge but mostly barren apart from a small area by the entrance.

They should invest in developing the area to make it more comfortable for the animals and to spread out visitors. A real nursery should be made for the hatchlings and staff should be scattered around to make sure everyone is being safe and respectful instead of all sitting in the enterance lobby.

This is the polar opposite of the experience I had at the turtle sanctuary which I found very professional...