Took her almost 100 years to find the right man🥰
These tortoises are usually [D.E.Ad] by this time in their lives in the wild, may the Philly zoo be good foster parents and help preserve these marvelous creatures until we learn to protect the planet the way it deserves to be.
A pair of critically [en.dan.gered], nearly 100-year-old Galapagos tortoises at the Philadelphia Zoo have become first-time parents.
In an Announcement Friday, the Zoo said it is OVERJOYED at the arrivals of the four hatchlings, a first in its more than 150-year history. The babies are the offspring of female Mommy and male Abrazzo, the zoo’s two oldest residents.
The zoo said: The quartet is being kept [behind] the scenes inside the Reptile and Amphibian House for now, eating and growing appropriately. They weigh between 70 and 80 grams, about the weight of a chicken egg. The first egg hatched on Feb. 27 and more that still could hatch are being monitored by the zoo’s animal care team.
President and CEO Jo-Elle Mogerman said in a statement: This is a significant milestone in the history of Philadelphia Zoo, and we couldn’t be more excited to share this news with our city, region and the world.
She said: Mommy arrived at the Zoo in 1932, meaning anyone that has visited the Zoo for the last 92 years has likely seen her. Philadelphia Zoo’s vision is that those hatchlings will be a part of a thriving population of Galapagos tortoises on our healthy planet 100 years from now.
Mommy is considered one of the most genetically valuable Galapagos tortoises in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ species survival plan. She is also the oldest first-time mom of the Western Santa Cruz Galapagos species.
The last clutch of such tortoises to hatch at an AZA-accredited zoo was in 2019 at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, South Carolina. The San Diego Zoo, Zoo Miami and Honolulu Zoo also have breeding pairs.
The zoo plans a public debut of the hatchlings on April 23, as well as a naming contest.
Such good news!!!🥰🥰 Congrats to the new parents!!🥰🥳🥂
Watch the video below:
It’s absolutely amazing!!!! The babies are kind of cute for turtles and their size—they’ve got a lot of growing to do!!🥰
