ANIMALS
More: Mr. Pickles, A 90-year-old Tortoise, Fathers Three Babies at Houston Zoo
Mr. Pickles, a 90-year-old radiated tortoise and the oldest animal at the Houston Zoo in Texas, is now a first-time father, the zoo said.
Mr. Pickles has been with his companion, Mrs. Pickles, since she arrived at the zoo in 1996, and their recent breeding was a surprise. A herpetology keeper noticed Mrs. Pickles laying eggs near closing time, and a team quickly sprang into action.
The eggs had to be moved to the Reptile and Amphibian House to incubate, because Houstons soil “isnt hospitable to the Madagascar native tortoises,” the zoo said. The eggs were unlikely to hatch on their own if the keeper hadnt been there at just the right time.
The hatchlings, named Dill, Gherkin, and Jalapeño, will remain behind the scenes until they are big enough to join their parents, the zoo said. Jalapeño is the hatchling with the darkest shell.
Mr. Pickles is considered “the most genetically valuable radiated tortoise” in the Association of Zoos and Aquarium (AZA) Species Survival Plan, the zoo said. The species is critically endangered due to the illegal pet trade, combined with the fact that they produce few offspring, the zoo said.
