The Care Centre is a small home based hospital, advisory and emergency service catering to sick and injured tortoises and monkeys. It is also a sanctuary for animals who otherwise would have been destroyed. On this web page you will find advice on how to care for your tortoises and also links to other resources. I used to cover the rescue of monkeys and other animals as well but due to financial restrictions this is no longer possible. I have left the pages up on what we did for monkeys for interest sake only. Also pages on monkey care and why they do not make suitable pets. The Centre is totally non-profit and runs on donations from the public and my own funding, if you can help here please email me. The tortoises and terrapins come in sick, ridden over by lawn mowers and motor vehicles, and also attacked by dogs. Many tortoises fall ill as a result of incorrect feeding and housing. Cars, dogs, guns, firecrackers and snares injured the monkeys. Mostly this is due to humans feeding them and attracting them into built up areas. Some of the damage done is terrible, and the suffering these animals endure at the hands of man is horrific.

With tortoises, a lot of this could be avoided - by NOT picking these creatures up out of the wild. If you see a tortoise in the road, stop and help him across to the other side, then go on your way with pride. There are more than enough captive bred specimens looking for homes if you really want one. The problems in captivity are numerous. Many people tether them when they show signs of wanting to escape, and it is not uncommon to find old wire/rope still around the top of a leg where it has eaten into the skin. Many who arrive are riddled with ticks and internal parasites, and in a very poor nutritional state. The most common belief here is that you can get a tortoise and then just throw out a few old cabbage and lettuce leaves occasionally for food.

The next common problem is over feeding the incorrect food; many food items can have disastrous effects on tortoises. When keeping any wild animal in captivity, the best thing to do is to learn how to "think" like that animal. I am a tortoise, what do I need? Sun, shade, natural growing food, little or NO fruit for most SA species, water, space to allow for exercise, protection from man and other animals, a dry shelter to sleep in, and an environment that emulates a wild natural one as closely as possible - it's THAT simple. If you have acquired a tortoise of South African origin, then hopefully the links on the menu will help you give your animal the best possible care. If you have any suggestions or problems not covered here please or for any queries send them here email me.

Elsewhere on this site you can see some of the injuries I have encountered. Animal nursing takes love, dedication, hard work and a willingness to learn more every day in order to give your patients the best possible care. I have qualified help I can draw on no matter what day it is, such is the dedication we find here. It is hoped that these pages will help educate and teach people to avoid harming our indigenous wildlife. Now I am also starting to see Bearded Dragons and Igaunas as these have become popular pets here, many incorrectly cared for.

Homopus aerolatus - common padloper

The Care Centre is very proud to have received the following award recently: Omniana Bronze Award Of Excellence ....follow the link to see their page

If you are buying a tortoise, a friend recently gave me this catch phrase which is VERY apt:
"If Only You'd Thought Before You Bought"

With regards,
Misty Corton
"Dear Father, hear and bless Thy beasts and singing birds,
and guard with tenderness, small things that have no words."

DONATIONS IN DOLLARS OR POUNDS CAN BE SENT TO:
THE CARE CENTRE
PO Box 20114 Durban North, Durban
KwaZulu Natal 4016
South Africa

Or Paypal'ed (Paypal.com) to: PatRMisty@aol.com.