Although considered ecologically extinct in the wild, the Burmese star tortoise population has grown to more than 14,000 individuals in Myanmar, and is currently growing at 37 percent per year thanks to the efforts of WCS, Turtle Survival Alliance and the Government of Myanmar's Forest Department at several captive breeding centers. Some tortoises already released into protected habitats in Myanmar's central dry zone. WCS’s Bronx Zoo helped design breeding centers and provided husbandry and veterinary expertise to care for tortoises

“This is the modern day equivalent of saving the bison from extinction. A team of conservationists spearheaded an aggressive captive breeding effort, and have brought an animal back from the brink to where it now has the potential to be reintroduced into the wild in large numbers.” – Steven Platt, WCS Herpetologist, Myanmar Program