tortoises are in fact, turtles.
Oh here we go... LOL All aboard!
I went to the zoo yesterday and saw a huge group of tourists surrounding the Aldabran tortoise exhibit taking photos and flashes and everything, so I ran over and there was 2 tortoises getting it on
he even made the gasp noise
Hehe. Tortoises are fascinating to observe. It's a shame our vast continent ended up with no present day tortoises. On my last visit to Australia Zoo, in 2014, I had a blast watching their then 37 year old Aldabra's. This one is named "Igloo" and today is 41 and still a youngin!
Igloo did well to come out and put on a bit of a show for the cameras given that it was 40+ degrees that day. I'll never forget January 4 2014, it was a heatwave and Ambulances were called to Australia zoo to assist 3 people who'd collapsed from heat stroke on the guided walk to the Africa exhibit. Upon returning to Toowoomba that afternoon, news of a large flying fox colony falling from the trees, dead at Kearney's Spring made the local news headlines. The local council had been responding to repeated calls from the public to move the colony on and for weeks they had made many fruitless attempts at doing so... Then mother nature, with one swipe of her almighty hand, virtually annihilates them all.
Today the colony has revived itself and is once again tormenting the locals and a visit to the West Creek Lake on Spring St will have you looking up at the trees at these screeching upside-down creatures of the night. There used to be miniature steam trains here that operated rides every 2nd or 3rd Sunday for children and families but they have relocated the steam trains because of the flying foxes.
Back on the topic of tortoises, The Darling Downs Zoo which is just a short Drive down the New England Highway from Toowoomba has 10 "baby" Aldabra tortoises which they imported back in 2013. Prior to these imported specimens, there was only 15 individuals in Australia.
Darling Downs Zoo senior keeper Renae Radke and director Stephanie Robinson with the ten new 4-5 year old Aldabra tortoises.
