10,000 Tortoises Rescued Again After Madagascar Flood Disaster

Madagascar’s endangered tortoises just can’t catch a break. First, it was smugglers. Now, it’s the weather.

In January, two cyclones rolled through southern Madagascar and turned the Lavavolo Tortoise Center into a disaster zone. This sanctuary, run by the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA), is home to thousands of rare tortoises rescued from traffickers. But the storms brought heavy flooding that killed over 800 tortoises. Heartbreaking.

This wasn’t your average flood. It wiped out half the tortoise enclosures in just 24 hours. The water reached six feet high—something no one at the center had seen before. Many tortoises suffocated, trapped under shelters meant to protect them. Some had only just been rescued days earlier and were too weak to survive the onslaught.

The TSA team had to act fast. First, they made sure their staff were safe. Then came the tortoises. Shade structures were torn down and turned into makeshift rafts. They managed to save over 10,000 tortoises, moving them to higher ground. The little ones went first since they were at the greatest risk of being swept away.

But survival wasn’t the end of the story. Feeding those tortoises became the next big task. Locals stepped in, delivering thousands of kilos of fresh greens daily. Without that help, the surviving tortoises wouldn’t have made it through the stress.

The sanctuary itself sits on a plain between a limestone cliff and the sea—beautiful but dangerous when storms roll in. Wild tortoises still roam the area, even on top of the cliffs.

Now, with the rainy season still going, rebuilding will have to wait until later this year. In the meantime, the TSA has set up temporary homes for the tortoises, including relocating the smallest ones to another center in Tsihombe Androy. The goal is to ease the burden on Lavavolo while they figure out how to rebuild stronger.

This was the worst disaster the center has faced since it opened in 2017. But the mission stays the same—keep these rare tortoises safe from traffickers and rising floodwaters.