A pair of endangered Galapagos tortoises nearly 100 years old have become parents for the first time at the Philadelphia Zoo.
The zoo said it was “overjoyed” at the birth of the four cubs, the first such event in the institution's more than 150-year history.
These babies are the offspring of a female, Mama, and a male, Abrazzo, who are two of the zoo's oldest residents.
The quartet are currently being kept behind the scenes at the House of Reptiles and Amphibians, “eating and developing normally,” the zoo said. They weigh between 70 and 80 grams, about the same as a chicken egg.
The first egg hatched on February 27, and the zoo's animal care team is monitoring the remaining eggs that have not yet hatched.
President and CEO Jo-Elle Mogerman said, “This is a significant milestone in the history of the Philadelphia Zoo, and we are thrilled to share this news with our city, region and the world.
“Mom was brought to the zoo in 1932, which means anyone who has visited the zoo in the last 92 years has probably seen her.
“The Philadelphia Zoo's vision is that in 100 years, these hatchlings will be part of a thriving population of Galapagos tortoises on our healthy planet.”
Mom is considered one of the most genetically valuable Galapagos tortoises for species survival, according to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
She is also the oldest first-born mother of the Western Santa Cruz Galapagos species. The last clutch of these turtles to hatch in an AZA-accredited zoo occurred in 2019 at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, South Carolina.
Zoos in San Diego, Miami, and Honolulu also have breeding pairs of the reptiles.
The Philadelphia Zoo plans to publicly debut the cubs on April 23 and will hold a naming contest.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
