H.E. Dr. Abeer H. Bilbeisi

My Story With Turtles

(Tortoises & turtles Breeder for more than 15 years)

My Story with turtles started since more than 15 years ago, when my father found the first one by chance in our home garden, I started to feed the tortoise with Lettuce Leaves, we asked the gardener to find another one and bring it to us, and so the alone tortoise will have a friend. In that time I don’t have any experience of Taking care of them, and I didn’t know any information about their diet, healthy problems & diseases, and the differences between males and females…

Days passed, and after two years we found another tortoise beside our car garage door, so we opened the door welcomed the third tortoise to join the first two. I asked my father to arrange a special place in our home backyard for the tortoises to live in, after that I started getting more tortoises & turtles by buying some of them from pets shops, and received some others gifts from friends and colleagues…

Since the first tortoise we have found I have had the desire to conduct searches on the web for the characteristics of this animal and collect information about him, to know how to distinguish between males & females, and to learn about the quality of food that he likes from green leaves, vegetables and fruits, the method of his breeding, nesting & laying eggs, as well as his diseases & get care advices from veterinarians.

The innocence & familiarity of this animal moved my feelings to be more sympathy & get closer to help him, until taking care of turtles become private hobby for me with special meaning in my life. As I was put a mechanism to organize giving him food, follow up his health in the best veterinary clinics, and schedule dedicated time to have fun with him especially in the weekends…

Turtles have become a big obsession to me because of the risks that threaten the extinction of this creature of all kinds at the global level, in view of the role of this creature in the ecological balance process. I launched my idea in establishing a national environmental association and body with an extension regional and international, to protect this creature, maintaining him and contributing locally, regionally and internationally to increase and strengthen environmental awareness of the importance of nature conservation and biodiversity, which turtles are important part from. As well as legislation deterrent laws to those who threaten the survival of this creature and traded him out…

My tortoises and turtles friends are giving me different meaning of happiness, I’m proud to be a “Mother of Turtles” & a “Conservation Hero” with respected humanity mission in the global level with effective role to save turtles in the Earth Planet...

I’m ending my story by thanking my tortoises & turtles to be part of my life  !!!!
 

Global Awards & Positions

1. Honorary Doctorate in Humanitarian Leadership, Global Initiative for Humanitarian Leaderships, Jordan – year 2013
2. Environment & Humanity Award, SPMUDA International Organization for Peace & Development, Philippines - year 2013.
3. Honorary Award, Maharaja Kutai Mulawarman, Indonesia – year 2013.
4. Goodwill Ambassadress for Environment & Conservation Jordan / Worldwide, SPMUDA International Organization for Peace & Development, Philippines - year 2013.
5. Ambassador – Diplomatic Corps of Blue Cross & Blue Crescent International Blue Cross & Blue Crescent Movement, United Kingdom (UK) – year 2014.
6. ICBC Ambassador & Environmental Eco Activist – International Committee of The Blue Cross & Blue Crescent, International Blue Cross & Blue Crescent Movement, United Kingdom (UK) – year 2014.
7. ICBC Ambassador & Animals Welfare Activist – International Committee of The Blue Cross & Blue Crescent, International Blue Cross & Blue Crescent Movement, United Kingdom (UK) – year 2014.
8. FIBCO Ambassador at Large – Global Committee of FIBCO (Federation of International Blue Cross & Blue Crescent Organizations), Representing FIBCO NGO Member (JSCT), International Blue Cross & Blue Crescent Movement, United Kingdom (UK) – year 2014.
9. IUBC Ambassador & Chapter Dean; Faculty of Ecology, Sustainability & Permaculture Educators, International University of The Blue Cross & Blue Crescent, International Blue Cross & Blue Crescent Movement, United Kingdom (UK) – year 2015.
10. IUBC Ambassador & Chapter Dean; Faculty of Animal Welfare, Protection & Rescue, International University of The Blue Cross & Blue Crescent, International Blue Cross & Blue Crescent Movement, United Kingdom (UK) – year 2015.

National & International Memberships

1. Member at The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) – since 2010.
2. Member at Jordan Photographic Society – year 2015
3. Member at IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) – year 2016.