Would a walk in giant tortoise enclosure work?

[Holly2873]

I had an idea about an outdoor cafe that had giant tortoises roaming around. Would that work? Like you see these kitten cafes and dog cafes and I was wondering if a tortoise cafe would work?

 

[birdsandbats]

I don't see any reason it wouldn't. Species like African Spurred Tortoises are frequently in walk-in enclosures in zoos. I've never seen the "true" giant tortoises like Aldabra or Galapagos in such a setup but do not see reason it would not be suitable.

 

[TinoPup]

I think the main thing would be having enough employees, and probably cameras, supervising. Cats and dogs can quickly get away from anyone that is bothering them, and cats especially can go climb up high. It's a little harder for tortoises to run away!

 

[snowleopard]

Chahinkapa Zoo (North Dakota) had a 'Tortoise Town" exhibit devoted to tortoises when I visited that obscure zoo in 2014. Their website currently lists Sulcata, Burmese, Radiated and Eastern Leopard, but I cannot recall which species resided in Tortoise Town back then. Here's a photo:

 

[NMM]

I think this has been asked before.and an interesting point someone raised was what if a large tortoise decided to block an entrance/exit.

 

[FBBird]

I think this has been asked before.and an interesting point someone raised was what if a large tortoise decided to block an entrance/exit.

I’ve seen a big male giant tortoise (Aldabra maybe?) knock over someone who was too close to him….

 

[pachyderm pro]

Not sure if it's still done, but not too long ago Cincinnati had scheduled times where guests could walk through the Galapagos tortoise enclosure and touch the inhabitants. This may have been discontinued now that the animals have bulked up over the years.

 

[Dhole dude]

I've actually been in a walk-through Giant Tortoise exhibit at Reptile Gardens, just outside Rapid City, SD. They have both Aldabra and Galapagos species in the exhibit, and it seems to work well with the tortoises not seeming to mind the people that much.

 

[Jonathan Petersson]

Not sure if it's still done, but not too long ago Cincinnati had scheduled times where guests could walk through the Galapagos tortoise enclosure and touch the inhabitants. This may have been discontinued now that the animals have bulked up over the years.

Cincinnati still has the tortoise petting walkthrough which is open from 2 to 3 most days. It works pretty well even with the tortoises size and is definitely a guest favorite. I know at one point there were some aggression issues from the largest male Bruno but it has seemed to be settled now.

 

[Osedax]

I think Western Plains Zoo used to let guests walk through their Galapagos Giant Tortoise exhibit. I know they were definitely allowed to touch them.

 

[dillotest0]

I think part of the reason that walkthrough tortoises are not any more common is simply that....tortoises don't do much.
If you think about the animals which are commonly kept in walktrhough enclosures - think lemurs, monkeys, wallabies, tropical birds... they all have something in common - they are very active at daylight hours. They are always up to something.
By all practical purposes, a walkthrough tortoise enclosure is not in the least bit impossible. It's just that it wouldn't be very engaging for visitors methinks.... unless they really like tortoises.
And there's also the question of keeping the tortoises warm during winter.