The Asian Turtle Consortium

The Asian Turtle Consortium announces the winners for the Barbara Bonner Memorial Award for outstanding work in turtle conservation.

Our winners are Dennis Uhrig and Walter Allen. Dennis, our 2003 winner, is a well-known turtle breeder and conservationist. He has been keeping turtles since 1962 when he found a Spotted turtle in New Jersey near his Aunt's home on Palm Sunday. Dennis moved to Florida in 1978 and began constructing outdoor enclosures in his backyard. Dennis presently has 72 ponds housing 110 species. Dennis successfully bred 53 species in 2003. Dennis says, "What started out as a hobby has now become much more. Having enjoyed turtles nearly my entire life, other turtle hobbyists and I, working with the ATC, can now do something to help the turtles. By using our hobby as a conservation tool we can work toward returning threatened and endangered turtles to their native habitats." Dennis has 24 species of Asian turtles and has successfully bred 16 so far. Some of the interesting species breeding on a regular basis in Dennis's ponds are Cuora trifasciata, Cuora flavomarginata, Chinemys nigricans, Chinemys megalocephala, Mauremys annamensis, Mauremys mutica kami, Melanochelys trijuga thermalis, Melanochelys trijuga coronata, Siebenrockiella crassicollis, Sacalia bealei and Heosemys grandis .

Walter B. Allen, turtle hobbyist extraordinaire and owner of the Casa de Tortuga turtle sanctuary, is the Asian Turtle Consortium's Barbara Bonner Award winner for 2004. Mr. Allen rescued his first turtle in the mid 1960s, and hasn't seen a turtle he doesn't like since. In 1978, he moved from Santa Monica to Fountain Valley, California for more space and built a separate house for his growing turtle collection (about 800 animals and 100 species). For more than 25 years Mr. Allen gave tours of his property to elementary school groups, Boy and Girl Scouts, and others six days a week. In addition, he adopted sick and unwanted turtles from owners that no longer could and/or would take care of their animals. Mr. Allen and his Casa have been featured on TV shows including Ripley's Believe or Not and numerous other media outlets worldwide.


	The Asian Turtle Consortium announces the winners for the Barbara Bonner Memorial Award for outstanding work in turtle conservation. Our winners are Dennis Uhrig and Walter Allen. Dennis, our 2003 winner, is a well-known turtle breeder and conservationist. He has been keeping turtles since 1962 when he found a Spotted turtle in New Jersey near his Aunt's home on Palm Sunday. Dennis moved to Florida in 1978 and began constructing outdoor enclosures in his backyard. Dennis presently has 72 ponds housing 110 species. Dennis successfully bred 53 species in 2003. Dennis says, "What started out as a hobby has now become much more. Having enjoyed turtles nearly my entire life, other turtle hobbyists and I, working with the ATC, can now do something to help the turtles. By using our hobby as a conservation tool we can work toward returning threatened and endangered turtles to their native habitats." Dennis has 24 species of Asian turtles and has successfully bred 16 so far. Some of the interesting species breeding on a regular basis in Dennis's ponds are Cuora trifasciata, Cuora flavomarginata, Chinemys nigricans, Chinemys megalocephala, Mauremys annamensis, Mauremys mutica kami, Melanochelys trijuga thermalis, Melanochelys trijuga coronata, Siebenrockiella crassicollis, Sacalia bealei and Heosemys grandis . Walter B. Allen, turtle hobbyist extraordinaire and owner of the Casa de Tortuga turtle sanctuary, is the Asian Turtle Consortium's Barbara Bonner Award winner for 2004. Mr. Allen rescued his first turtle in the mid 1960s, and hasn't seen a turtle he doesn't like since. In 1978, he moved from Santa Monica to Fountain Valley, California for more space and built a separate house for his growing turtle collection (about 800 animals and 100 species). For more than 25 years Mr. Allen gave tours of his property to elementary school groups, Boy and Girl Scouts, and others six days a week. In addition, he adopted sick and unwanted turtles from owners that no longer could and/or would take care of their animals. Mr. Allen and his Casa have been featured on TV shows including Ripley's Believe or Not and numerous other media outlets worldwide.
	Copyright 2005 © The Asian Turtle Consortium