The highly endangered Galapagos turtle, almost 100 years ago, has become their first parent.
In an announcement Friday, the zoo said it was “overjoyed” when the first four hatchings in its 150-year history arrived. The baby is a descendant of the male mom and male Abrazo, the two oldest residents of the zoo.
The quartet is currently being kept behind the scenes inside the homes of reptiles and amphibians. “We’re eating properly and growing,” the zoo said. They weigh between 70 and 80 grams for the weight of chicken eggs. The first eggs hatched on February 27th, and the eggs are being monitored by the zoo’s animal care team will be further hatched.
“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,” President and CEO Jo El Moggerman said 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,” she said. “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.”
Mama is considered one of the genetically valuable Galapagos turtles in relation to zoo and aquarium species survival plans. She is also the oldest first mom of the Western Santa Cruz Galapagos species. The final clutch of turtles, like AZA-recognized zoos, took place in 2019 at Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens in Columbia, South Carolina. There are also breeding pairs at the San Diego Zoo, the Zoo Miami and the Honolulu Zoo.
The Zoo is planning a public debut and naming contest for Hatchling on April 23rd.
