Galapagos giant tortoises (in captivity)

K

Kifaru Bwana

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
I thought I would open a thread on Galapagos giant tortoises. Though firm public favourites, breeding is not exactly succeeding in zoos. Much of this has to do with housing, UV light conditions and nutrition, and some also with the very (unnatural) fact that at most times zoos keep their males and females together year-round.

First I would like to know exactly what the research into genetics has proven for the captive Galapagos giant tortoises. US zoos have been fundamental in this research and ISIS already lists some of the 100+ Galapagos giants there under their respective taxon (and not in the generalised sections of unknowns (which incidentally includes quite a few hybrids) and hybrids.

For European zoos I would be much obliged to learn what origins and life histories you people can come up with on:
Zoo Leipzig 1.0 Chelonoidis (nigra) sp. indet.
Zoo Hoyerswerda 2.1 Chelonoidis nigrita
Zoo Moskva 2.2 Chelonoidis (nigra) sp. indet.
Zoo Rotterdam 2.0 Chelnoidis (nigra) sp. indet both ex Stuttgart Zoo
Zoo Zuerich 1.0 Chelonoidis becki + 0.2 Chelonoidis nigrita
(here I am particularly interested in the second 0.1 ex Stuttgart Zoo

Just fire away if you have any information!

(Later on I will get onto the US zoos Galapagos giants too).
 
San Deigo zoo has had some breeding of their animals a few years ago, one animal which was found in their collection proved to be of the rare HOOD Island species which was then sent back to breed with less than a hand full of females of the species at an Island breeding station, last I heard he became a full time Dad :cool:
 
MARK said:
one animal which was found in their collection proved to be of the rare HOOD Island species which was then sent back to breed with less than a hand full of females of the species at an Island breeding station :cool:
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I believe the CD research station only had 1 or maybe 2 Hood Island males so he was a very valuable addition. A pity SD didn't have a Pinta Island female as well...

Jelle- is that the total of Galapagos Tortoise in Europe? There aren't very many....
 
Pertinax said:
I believe the CD research station only had 1 or maybe 2 Hood Island males so he was a very valuable addition. A pity SD didn't have a Pinta Island female as well...

Jelle- is that the total of Galapagos Tortoise in Europe? There aren't very many....
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From what I can remember they only had the one male at the breeding centre so indeed he was most welcome :cool:
 
remember the famouse lonesome george? or was that his name? he was the last of his species! did they ever find him a female?
 
Lonesome george did breed with some female (i think isabella subspecies).
And on Isabella they found some F1 hybrids of the subspecies of Lonesome george so there might be a chance that they find more tortoises of his subspecies.
 
Nice of you all to comment on the Darwin Foundation Galapagos tortoise, but please I am TALKING the Galapagos giants in US, European, Australasian et al ZOOS for goodness sake.

There really is not much to talk about regarding the Darwin Foundation that I do no already now. Please let stick to zoo tortoises instead.

So, if you have any valid comments on European, US or Aussie Galapagos giants be my guest, .... if not (do not take this personal please) leave it in another thread as I would not consider the Darwin Foundation as a captive facility as its expert aim is to breed/hatch and headstart tortoise eggs and release the offspring in 5-6 years when large enough to withstand all potential predators).

Collections I am particularly interested in are: Hoyerswerda and Moskva Zoos as well as the wildborn males at Rotterdam in Europe, the Auckland and Dubbo Galapagos and the giants at Honolulu, San Diego, Columbia, Oklahoma, Brownsville and Philadelphia.

Fire at will now! :rolleyes:
 
I don't know about any of those zoos you mentioned but when I was little I did get the chance to see Harriet at Australia Zoo who was taken from the Galapagos Islands by Charles Darwin himself. She's dead now.
 
When I went to the Honolulu Zoo earlier this year I saw their Galapagos Tortoises. I don't remember how many they had, but they had multiple large exhibits for their tortoises. I think the Honolulu Zoo is a great place to see tortoises, as their exhibits are big and their collection is amazing: Galapagos Tortoises, Aldabra Tortoises, Angonoka Tortoises, African Pancake Tortoises, Bowsprit Tortoises, Burmese Tortoises, Red-footed Tortoises, Spurred Tortoises, Star Tortoises, and Yellow-footed Tortoises.

Here is a pic of a tortoise at Honolulu:
[thumb=8794;930;2432575339_bfd7e28aaf_b.jpg]Galapagos Tortoise at the Honolulu Zoo[/thumb]

Galapagos Tortoises at the Honolulu Zoo:

Name Sex DOB

Jaws M 07-23-1929 wild born
Sam M 07-23-1929 wild born (Died 2002)
Charlotte F 07-23-1929 wild born
Stacy F 08-09-1969 captive born
Tootsie F 08-10-1969 captive born
Trisha F 08-11-1969 captive born
Tessie F 08-11-1969 captive born
Sheri F 08-12-1969 captive born
Alf M 08-15-1969 captive born
Christine F 08-22-1969 captive born
Carla F 06-03-1970 captive born
Hermie M 10-11-1970 captive born
Toby M 12-06-1974 (from St. Paul Zoo) wild born
Speedy F 08-05-1990 captive born

I found this info at the Honolulu Zoo website:http://www.honoluluzoo.org/galapagos_tortoise.htm
 
To add some info to some of the questions:

Australian animals

Three males at Perth Zoo, not sure of subspecies, previously privately held.

A small group at Western Plains, not sure of sex, numbers or subspecies.

I believe there is some discrepencies with the Harriet story as to her origins and age.

UK animals

A small group of young animals at Chester Zoo, subspecies unknown. I am sure these are the only Galapagos species in captivity in the UK.

There is probably more info on ISIS about the living animals.
 
tetrapod said:
UK animals

A small group of young animals at Chester Zoo, subspecies unknown. I am sure these are the only Galapagos species in captivity in the UK.
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Chester has 4 tortoises now (1.3) and ISIS lists them as the only UK ones.

They were hatched in Zurich in March 2001 and arrived at Chester in late 2005.
 
the rotterdam females (captive born) are also coming from Zurich.
I'm trying to get more info on the males from Stuttgard (now in Rdam) the only info till now is that they are around 70 years old.
 
I think there are some Galapagos Tortoises in private hands in the UK. It was Zoogiraffe who posted this previously I think.
 
bongorob said:
I think there are some Galapagos Tortoises in private hands in the UK. It was Zoogiraffe who posted this previously I think.
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Are those in private hands pure breds (I am trying to find out mostly about the pure breds across the continents)? :confused:

In most European zoos they have offspring from the hybrids produced at Zuerich Zoo. This zoo's management really are leaders in the field of breeding giant tortoises, I just fume at the fact that all they are producing is hybrids (and they have such excellent contacts to the Darwin Foundation breeders in Santa Cruz et al.
 
Hope this isn't stupid to all of you guys but I'm trying to find out a little more on the 10 sub-species are they distinct or are they just sepertae because of area of range?
 
first there are no stupid questions :) second, they also differ in size and shell shape. also neck and legs are different in shape and seem to be addepted to the plant variety on each island.
 
Are there other Galapagos animals in captivity? such as Galapagos finches, marine iguanas etc?
 
Vulpes said:
Are there other Galapagos animals in captivity? such as Galapagos finches, marine iguanas etc?
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A few have been kept in the past (mostly in California before 1941 I guess), but the only ones I have seen were Galapagos doves at the Jardin des Plantes, Paris in the early 1970's. As the islands have been a National Park for many years now, it's unlikely that we will see any others.

Alan
 
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