08 Mei 2012

Zoo’s baby tortoises no bigger than 20 pence piece

Tortoises beside 20 pence pice
Tiny arrivals ... tortoises beside 20 pence piece
Solent

FAMILIES have been shelling out on a visit to a Hampshire wildlife park – to have a gander at this quartet of baby tortoises as small as a 20 pence piece.

The tiny creatures are the first to be born in five years at Marwell, near Winchester, Hants.

The smallest of the youngsters, at just over a week old, weighed just 3.1grams after hatching.

He and the three others, all critically endangered Egyptian tortoises, went on display to the public for the first time on May 4 and are proving popular with visitors.

Trainee keeper Kimberley Goodfield said: “This is the first time babies have been born in five years.
“Until now we haven’t really had the space to incubate or care for new-borns."


Tortoises are first for five years
Shelling out ... tortoises are first for five years
Solent
 
She added: “These babies have come from two different females — it was really exciting when we discovered they were pregnant.

“They began searching for a nest so we gave them a little help and prepared the enclosure for them.”

The eggs were quickly transferred to an incubator soon after being hatched in the tortoise enclosure.
Staff made sure they were kept in controlled conditions — a temperature of 30 degrees and 75 per cent humidity.
And, after 111 days, they were delighted to discover the eggs had begun to hatch.

The babies will now be kept separate from the adults for a few years until they are old enough to fend for themselves in the enclosure.


Baby tortoises have proved a hit with visitors
In hand ... baby tortoises have proved a hit with visitors
Solent

They are currently in a quarantine tank where members of the public can watch them exploring their new surroundings.

Miss Goodfield said: “They’re not quite old enough to fend for themselves with the adults in the enclosure.
“For now we will keep them separate. We have to be very gentle with them because they’re so small and their shells are not very hard yet.”

The Egyptian tortoise, also called the Kleinmann’s tortoise, is the smallest in the northern hemisphere.
Adults live for up to 50 years. They can grow to around 15 centimetres long and weigh 500 grams.

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