'Cause for shellebration': OKC Zoo announces birth of rare giant tortoises

The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden has announced the birth of five rare Volcán Alcedo giant tortoises, the first successful breeding of this species in the nation.

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden has announced the birth of five rare Volcán Alcedo giant tortoises, the first successful breeding of this species in the nation.

"We have five hatchlings that have moved out of the incubator,” said OKC Zoo’s Senior Herpetology Caretaker, Katie Porth. “There are eleven extant species of Galápagos tortoises. We’re the only AZA-accredited zoo in the U.S. with a breeding group of Volcán Alcedo giant tortoises.”

According to the Zoo, these tortoises are from the Alcedo Volcano area in central Isabela Island, the biggest of the Galápagos Islands. There are currently four adult Volcán Alcedo giant tortoises in the Zoo's care between the ages of 80 to 100 years old.

Females tortoises Miss B, Isabela (Isa for short), and Ellie along with male tortoise Max ensure that the new hatchlings are from the same subspecies.

“Welcoming these hatchlings is monumental considering Max, 80, is a “late bloomer,” Porth said.

The OKC Zoo takes part in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan program for giant tortoises, which is where the recommendation came from to breed Max with the females.

“Max showed interest in the girls but didn’t really know what he was doing,” she added. “We were getting perfectly good unfertilized eggs from the girls every year, but we weren’t getting any fertilized ones.”

According to the Zoo, 2024 marks 50 years Max has been a resident of Oklahoma City. Visitors can see Max, Miss B, Isabela, and Ellie at the Zoo's Galápagos tortoise habitat. The hatchlings can also be seen now inside the Herpetarium.

To learn more about the OKC Zoo, visit okczoo.org.