Membership Four Tiny Tortoises, A Huge Conservation Win
The Cincinnati Zoo is celebrating the hatching of four critically endangered Asian brown giant tortoises. These remarkable tortoises are the second largest tortoises in Asia, with adults capable of reaching more than 2 feet in length and weighing over 40 pounds.
They also have one of the most unusual nesting behaviors among tortoises. Females build large mounds of leaves and other forest debris to bury their eggs, then remain to maintain and defend the nest for days or even weeks.
With wild populations facing severe declines from habitat loss and collection, these four hatchlings are especially significant. They are part of the AZA Species Survival Plan® (SSP), a cooperative conservation program working to maintain healthy, genetically diverse populations of threatened and endangered species.
