At the Philadelphia Zoo, a giant turtle pair of nearly 100 years old, endangered species became their first parents.
The zoo said it was “overjoyed” when four hatched hatch rings arrived from Abrazo and Mama this week.
The birth said it was “first” in the zoo’s over 150-year history, and when she arrived in 1932, the mama was the oldest first mother of her species.
The turtles in the West Santa Cruz Galapagos are extremely at risk in the wild, with fewer than 50 breeding at US zoos.
The first Abrazo and Mama’s eggs were hatched on February 27th, with others quickly following. The zoo’s animal care team is keeping an eye on others who may still be hatching in the coming weeks.
The four hatch rings weigh between 70-80 grams.
They are kept behind the scenes in the reptile and amphibian homes at the Philadelphia Zoo, and “eats properly and grows,” the zoo said.
The quartet is planning to make its public debut on Wednesday, April 23rd. This is the 93rd anniversary of Mama’s arrival at the Zoo.
hatching is part of the association of zoo and aquarium breeding programs aimed at the survival of species and genetic diversity.
“This is an important milestone in the history of the Philadelphia Zoo and we couldn’t be more excited to share this news with our cities, regions and the world,” said Jo-Elle Mogerman, president and CEO of the Zoo, in a statement.
“Mama arrived at the zoo in 1932. So anyone who has visited the zoo for the past 92 years has seen her,” Moggerman said.
Abrazo is a new arrival that moved to Philadelphia in 2020 after previously living at the Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens in South Carolina.
“The vision for the Philadelphia Zoo is that these hatching will become part of the thriving population of the turtles on the healthy planet of Galapagos, 100 years from now,” she added.
