Russ Gurley

TTPG Founder Russ Gurley was an original member of the American Federation of Herpetoculturists in the 1980s and served as a creative force behind The Vivarium magazine for several years. Russ is a board member of the Asian Turtle Consortium, member of the Turtle Survival Alliance, the World Chelonian Trust, and an active member of several other turtle and tortoise conservation organizations.

Russ has produced many articles relating to the captive care of aquatic turtles and tortoises and was named among an elite list of Who's Who in Reptiles in 2008. Russ's articles have appeared in journals such as MANOURIA, The Batagur, REPTILES, and on various websites. In addition to turtle and tortoise articles, Russ enjoys writing about lizards and invertebrates. In the early days of the invertebrate hobby in the United States, he wrote A Color Guide to Tarantulas of the World I, A Color Guide to Tarantulas of the World II, and more recently, he wrote Tarantula and Scorpions in Captivity for ECO publishing.

Russ’s first turtle-related book, The African Spurred Tortoise, Geochelone sulcata, in Captivity, was published in 2002 and has been a top seller. Keeping and Breeding Freshwater Turtles and Baby Turtles became available in August of 2003. Keeping Turtles in Captivity for ECO is a condensed version of his larger book, Keeping and Breeding Freshwater Turtles. His book, The Complete Tarantula will be available this summer. He has recently focused on the Turtles of the World book series and is authoring or co-authoring several books in this series.

Russ was the first private keeper in the United States to breed Flat-tailed tortoises (Pyxis planicauda) and Tuberculated Toad-headed turtles (Batrachemys tuberculatus). His recent focus has been devoted to Pancake tortoises (Malacochersus tornieri), Kinixys species, Pelusios species, Rhinoclemmys species, and a variety of lizard projects.

Russ hopes his work with reptiles and his writing projects will help fulfill one of the Turtle and Tortoise Preservation Group’s main goals - to inspire keepers and to spread the most recent information relating to the keeping and breeding of the world’s turtles through articles, books, conferences and workshops, and through our website.

James Badman

James Badman has worked at Arizona State University for 12 years. He is the Assistant Director for the Department of Animal Care and Technologies. He owns Wildside Pets, LLC, an exotic pet store in Mesa, Arizona. He and Drew Rheinhardt host the Phoenix Reptile Expo, LLC. James is married and has two beautiful daughters. Like most, he has kept tortoises since he was a kid.

Drew Rheinhardt

Drew Rheinhardt is a painter by trade and has worked with many species of reptiles since his early childhood. Like his mentor, Bert Langerwerf, Drew has devoted most of his time keeping species that will thrive in outdoor enclosures in his native Arizona. His enclosures are producing some of the most amazing species from Africa and Europe including Leopard tortoises (Stigmochelys pardalis), Spurred tortoises (Centrochelys sulcata), and a variety of Testudo species including Testudo hermanni, Testudo floweri and Testudo marginata. Drew also keeps and breeds a handful of aquatic species and has recently produced a number of Vietnamese pond turtles (Mauremys annamensis), a species that is now extinct in nature.

Drew has also been successful with a wide range of lizard species including terrestrial geckos, chuckwallas, and other desert species, and he is one of the most successful keepers of Uromastyx lizards in the country. Drew’s insight into desert-dwelling species that thrive in his Arizona climate has provided a wealth of information for keepers around the country.

Wayne Hill

TTPG board member Wayne Hill is most notable for bringing our hobby the National Reptile Breeders Expo in Florida. After a long history with reptiles which includes breeding albino cobras, keeping and breeding Eastern diamondback rattlensnakes, and keeping and breeding Madagascan Hog-nosed snakes (he was the first to breed all three species), he settled into a fascination with turtles and tortoises. He has a large and diverse collection at his breeding facility in Florida that includes an excellent soft-shelled turtle collection, multiple Podocnemis species, Erymnochelys madagascariensis, snake-necked turtles, and a large variety of exotic species including a beautiful herd of adult Galapagos tortoises. Wayne has produced Spotted pond turtles (Geoclemys hamiltoni) for many years and his work with this species has single-handedly added over 500 specimens to the world’s population of this rare and attractive endangered species. His population in Florida could potentially be the replacement group for this species in nature if pollution, man’s interference, or a natural disaster ever devastated the wild population of this aquatic turtle species.

Wayne has been the gracious host of the TTPG’s TURTLE NIGHT at the National Reptile Breeders Expo for the last ten years and his support of conservation projects around the world is unmatched in the hobby of herpetoculture. To date, his auctions at the National Reptile Breeders Expo have raised more than $100,000 for projects around the planet that are devoted to captive breeding of reptiles and amphibians.

Kurt Edwards

Kurt Edwards has a diverse collection of both aquatic species and tortoises. He was best known early in the hobby for producing Spotted turtles. In more recent years, he has developed a fondness for South American species and became the first breeder in the United States to successfully hatch and raise a Spiny-necked turtle (Acanthochelys spixii). In addition to aquatic species, Kurt is also interested in Elongated tortoises, Testudo species and various lizard projects including Cyclura species and Ctenosaura species.

Kurt has just begun his writing career related to turtles and tortoises and their captive care. He is currently working on an article on Spotted turtles and a book for the TTPG Turtles of the World series. He will no doubt be helping with THE BATAGUR, the newsletter of the Turtle and Tortoise Preservation Group this fall.

Kurt spoke at the National Reptile Breeders Expo in 2005, NARBC Arlington in 2007, East Texas Herp Society in 2009, and the Phoenix Reptile Expo in 2009.

Jerry Fife

Jerry Fife is a former CPA who managed golf courses, sports complexes, and spring training baseball stadiums in Phoenix, Arizona. He has bred a large number of species in his outdoor enclosures, including Star tortoises, Egyptian tortoises, Leopard tortoises, Spurred tortoises, Spider tortoises, Flat-tailed tortoises, and a variety of Mediterranean tortoises.

Jerry has an interest in lizards as well and has kept and bred iguanas and chuckwallas for over a decade. He currently works with Rhinoceros iguanas, various Spiny-tailed (Ctenosaura) species, Angel Island chuckwallas, and other lizard species. He has traveled to the Caribbean, Mexico, Galapagos Islands, South Africa and Central America to see many of these species in the wild. Jerry is the author of many books and articles and speaks at herp societies, turtle and tortoise conferences, and reptile events throughout the year.

Books by Jerry Fife:

• Leopard Tortoises: The Natural History, Captive Care and Breeding of Stigmochelys pardalis (with Richard Fife)
• Star Tortoise: The Natural History, Captive Care, and Breeding of Geochelone elegans and Geochelone platynota
• Mediterranean Tortoises: The Natural History, Captive Care and Breeding of Greek, Hermann's, Marginated, Russian, & Egyptian Tortoises
• IGUANAS: A Pictorial Guide to the Iguanas of the World

Richard Fife

Richard Fife, is the owner and operator of Riparian Farms, a turtle and tortoise breeding facility located in South East Arizona. He developed the "Ivory Tortoise", which is a dark eyed form of albinic African Spurred Tortoise. He also works with other species of turtles and tortoises including several "at risk" Asian species including species of Cuora. Richard was employed by the Gladys Porter Zoo, as Assistant Curator of Reptiles and left the zoo in 1978. Over the years he has improved many turtle and tortoise husbandry techniques and has written many popular articles about turtles and tortoises. He was a founding member of the "National Turtle and Tortoise Association" and past president of the Arizona Herpetological Association. He has spoken to groups on the subject of turtles and tortoises throughout the USA, Vienna Austria, Johannesburg South African, and the Galapagos Islands. Richard has traveled on numerous "Wildlife Expeditions" with his brother Jerry. He is currently employed by the City of Sierra Vista, Arizona.