I live in Catalonia, Spain, where T.hermani hermani is indigenous. Some decades ago it was the most abundant tortoise imported all over Europe together with Testudo graeca. Most of them died because of the lack of information on it´s manteinance and the conditions in wich were imported. In the 90´s terrapene s.p., at least in Spain, was the most abundant and cheap tortoise you could find in shops.Most were parasitized with helmints and fly larvae, and severely dehidratated. To worsen it the advice they gave you in the shop was that it was more or less like a herman´s with a hinge on the plastron. Now it´s the turn of horsfieldii. It´s been imported in large numbers for the last 10 years. Í don´t think there is a pressure in Assia against this trade. This looks like repeating hermani´s history.

I have wild caught A.horsfieldiis. I do my best to keep them healthy and try to know as much as I can on it´s needs. But I must confess sometimes I have some ethical doubts. It´s the part of our hobby wich we sometimes don´t want to see.

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