Latest news with #WesternSantaCruzGalapagos
ARN News Center
09-04-2025
- General
- ARN News Center
Galapagos tortoises become first-time parents aged 100
A couple of 100-year-old Galapagos tortoises have become parents for the first time, after giving birth to four hatchlings at Philadelphia Zoo. The US zoo said it was "overjoyed" at the news that Abrazzo and Mommy had welcomed their newborns, at the age of 100. It's the first time in the zoo's history that Galapagos tortoises have been born at the park. Mommy is the oldest first-time mother of her species, having been born herself in 1932. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Philadelphia Zoo (@philadelphiazoo) Fewer than 50 Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises are kept in zoos in the US, and are considered critically endangered in the wild. The four hatchlings - weighing between 70 and 80 grams - are being kept inside the zoo's Reptile and Amphibian House, and are said to be eating well.
Dubai Eye
09-04-2025
- General
- Dubai Eye
Galapagos tortoises become first-time parents aged 100
A couple of 100-year-old Galapagos tortoises have become parents for the first time, after giving birth to four hatchlings at Philadelphia Zoo. The US zoo said it was "overjoyed" at the news that Abrazzo and Mommy had welcomed their newborns, at the age of 100. It's the first time in the zoo's history that Galapagos tortoises have been born at the park. Mommy is the oldest first-time mother of her species, having been born herself in 1932. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Philadelphia Zoo (@philadelphiazoo) Fewer than 50 Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises are kept in zoos in the US, and are considered critically endangered in the wild. The four hatchlings - weighing between 70 and 80 grams - are being kept inside the zoo's Reptile and Amphibian House, and are said to be eating well.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Tortoise becomes first-time mother at the age of 100
A critically endangered female Galapagos tortoise has become a first-time mother at the age of 100. Philadelphia Zoo said it was 'overjoyed' to announce the arrival of the four hatchlings, who are the first to be born at the site in its history. The mother, appropriately named Mommy, and the father, named Abrazzo, are Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises, which are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation and Nature. They can live up to 200 years. Mommy has lived at the Philadelphia Zoo since 1932 and is the oldest of the species to become a first-time mum. '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,' said Dr Jo-Elle Mogerman, the zoo's chief executive. '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.' The baby tortoises were part of a clutch of 16 eggs, with the first hatching on Feb 27. The zoo said it would monitor the remaining eggs in the coming weeks. The hatchlings each weigh between 70 and 80 grams and are 'eating and growing appropriately', staff said. They are set to make their public debut on April 23, the 93rd anniversary of Mommy's arrival at the zoo. Before the eggs hatched, there were only 44 Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises living in US zoos, with the species threatened by a lack of genetic diversity within the population. The tortoises are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' species survival plan (SSP), which established a breeding programme to ensure their population remains at a sustainable level. The group of offspring represents 'some much-needed help to the species' population', and, given Mommy's age, their arrival 'accomplished something that was seemingly impossible', said Ashley Ortega, the co-ordinator of the Galapagos tortoise SSP. The couple were paired shortly after Abrazzo arrived at the zoo in 2020, but until now none of Mommy's clutches of eggs had been viable. The female tortoise laid the eggs, which typically take four to eight months to incubate, in November 2024. Abrazzo is also father to five other tortoises, who arrived in 2011 when he lived at the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, South Carolina. Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises are native to the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean and face several threats in the wild, including from habitat loss, invasive species and humans. There are now 13 species of Galapagos tortoises native to seven islands, but others have gone extinct. 'We take great responsibility participating in the Galapagos tortoise species survival plan, and are thrilled for this successful pairing of Mommy and Abrazzo,' said Rachel Metz, the zoo's vice president of animal well-being and conservation. 'At one point, each of the Galapagos Islands had its own unique Galapagos tortoise, but sadly, several of them are now extinct. These hatchlings not only protect the species from extinction, but serve as important ambassadors to inspire guests to save wildlife and wild places.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
07-04-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Tortoise becomes first-time mother at the age of 100
A critically endangered female Galapagos tortoise has become a first-time mother at the age of 100. Philadelphia Zoo said it was 'overjoyed' to announce the arrival of the four hatchlings, who are the first to be born at the site in its history. The mother, appropriately named Mommy, and the father, named Abrazzo, are Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises, which are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation and Nature. They can live up to 200 years. Mommy has lived at the Philadelphia Zoo since 1932 and is the oldest of the species to become a first-time mum. '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,' said Dr Jo-Elle Mogerman, the zoo's chief executive. '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.' The baby tortoises were part of a clutch of 16 eggs, with the first hatching on Feb 27. The zoo said it would monitor the remaining eggs in the coming weeks. The hatchlings each weigh between 70 and 80 grams and are 'eating and growing appropriately', staff said. They are set to make their public debut on April 23, the 93rd anniversary of Mommy's arrival at the zoo. Before the eggs hatched, there were only 44 Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises living in US zoos, with the species threatened by a lack of genetic diversity within the population. The tortoises are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' species survival plan (SSP), which established a breeding programme to ensure their population remains at a sustainable level. The group of offspring represents 'some much-needed help to the species' population', and, given Mommy's age, their arrival 'accomplished something that was seemingly impossible', said Ashley Ortega, the co-ordinator of the Galapagos tortoise SSP. The couple were paired shortly after Abrazzo arrived at the zoo in 2020, but until now none of Mommy's clutches of eggs had been viable. The female tortoise laid the eggs, which typically take four to eight months to incubate, in November 2024. Abrazzo is also father to five other tortoises, who arrived in 2011 when he lived at the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, South Carolina. Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises are native to the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean and face several threats in the wild, including from habitat loss, invasive species and humans. There are now 13 species of Galapagos tortoises native to seven islands, but others have gone extinct. 'We take great responsibility participating in the Galapagos tortoise species survival plan, and are thrilled for this successful pairing of Mommy and Abrazzo,' said Rachel Metz, the zoo's vice president of animal well-being and conservation. 'At one point, each of the Galapagos Islands had its own unique Galapagos tortoise, but sadly, several of them are now extinct. These hatchlings not only protect the species from extinction, but serve as important ambassadors to inspire guests to save wildlife and wild places.'
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Zoo's tortoises become first-time parents ... aged about 100
A pair of critically endangered giant tortoises aged about 100 years old have become first-time parents at Philadelphia Zoo. The zoo said this week it was "overjoyed" at the arrival of four hatchlings from Abrazzo and Mommy, a pair Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises. The births were a "first" in the zoo's 150-plus-year history, it said, and Mommy - who arrived in 1932 - was the oldest known first-time mother of her species. Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises are critically endangered in the wild, and there are fewer than 50 kept in US zoos. The first of Abrazzo and Mommy's eggs hatched on 27 February, and others quickly followed. The zoo's animal care team is monitoring others that could still hatch in the coming weeks. The four hatchlings weigh between 70 and 80 grams. They are being kept behind-the-scenes, inside Philadelphia Zoo's Reptile and Amphibian House, and are "eating and growing appropriately", the zoo said. It is planning a public debut of the quartet on Wednesday 23 April, which is "the 93rd anniversary of Mommy's arrival at the zoo". The hatchlings are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' breeding programme, aimed at the survival of species and genetic diversity. "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," the zoo's president and CEO Jo-Elle Mogerman said in a statement. "Mommy arrived at the zoo in 1932, meaning anyone that has visited the zoo for the last 92 years has likely seen her," Ms Mogerman said. Abrazzo is a newer arrival, having moved to Philadelphia in 2020 after previously living at the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in South Carolina. "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," she added. First giant Galapagos tortoises born in UK zoo Baby tortoises wrapped in plastic found in suitcase
