site.btaBulgaria’s Only Tortoise Rescue Centre Reopens to Visitors June 1

The Tortoise Rescue, Rehabilitation and Breeding Centre in the coastal village of Banya, Nessebar Municipality, is reopening for visitors on June 1, it transpires from the Centre’s Facebook page. It closed in October 2022 to provide peaceful conditions for the hibernation of its scaly residents.

This winter, the tortoises who did not hibernate – those aged up to 2, the sick, the injured, and the individuals from several non-native species who always spend the winter awake – were accommodated at the Centre’s new infirmary. Built with the help of donations, the infirmary provides the tortoises with the specific temperature, humidity, and lighting they need to grow and recover. 

With the start of the tortoises’ most active period, the Centre now focuses on its main task: treating injured and sick tortoises from across the country and releasing them back into the wild upon their recovery, which can take from several days to years. The only rescue centre for tortoises in Bulgaria and the third in Europe entirely dedicated to these reptilian species helps over 200 sick and injured tortoises a year, shows information on its website.

Those interested in learning more about Bulgaria's tortoise species and their conservation as well as observing their lives from up close, can visit the Centre in Banya from June 1 to late September. Visitors are asked to call +359882518566 in advance of their visit.

The Tortoise Rescue, Rehabilitation and Breeding Centre was established in 2007 by the Gea Chelonia Foundation amid the deepening problems with habitat loss and population decline. In addition to treating injured and sick tortoises, the Centre provides a permanent home to those of its patients whose lasting trauma or long life in captivity makes reintroduction impossible. Also, some 150 tortoises hatch at the Centre every year, and need three years of care until they can be safely released in the wild. As a result of the growing illegal trade and the use of tortoises as pets, the Centre often provides a home to non-native species as well.