Conservation

Aldabra tortoises are found on the Aldabra Islands in the Indian Ocean between Kenya and the northern tip of Madagascar. Their status is considered vulnerable (CITES App. II) and they suffer from predation by feral animals brought to the islands by man.

The Alexandria Zoo’s involvement with this species began in the mid 1970’s when “Big Al” arrived at the zoo. This was one of the first animals acquired by Zoo Director Les Whitt. During this time detailed recordkeeping was not a required procedure, and most small zoos did not have the staff necessary to maintain or research such records.

“Big Al” was one in a truckload of tortoises being imported from Canada by an animal dealer and there were no birth or health records for the animals. The Alexandria Zoo’s animal collection at that time consisted of retired circus animals, orphaned pets, tigers with rickets, quite a few lions, and a multitude of white-tailed deer, so acquiring a healthy giant tortoise was very appealing. Although “Big Al’s” age could only be estimated, his monetary value at the time was one thousand dollars - a huge expense at the time and only a small fraction of what Geochelone gigantea costs today.

Over the years, the zoo has housed several tortoises loaned from other zoos to be companions for “Big Al”, but inevitably the loaning facilities requested their tortoises for other breeding programs.

In the early 90’s after exhausting all known resources in the U.S., the Alexandria Zoo made a large deposit to a veterinarian for a female of appropriate size that was supposedly being imported from a zoo in Africa. After waiting a year for shipment of the tortoise, it was obvious that the deposit would have to be refunded and the Zoo would have to begin another search for a female. During this extended period of time when a companion could not be located, the Alexandria Zoo’s Animal Collection Committee seriously considered the likelihood of transferring “Big Al” to another facility where he could breed. Although this was not the desire of the staff or the public, the best interest of the animal was the main concern. “Big Al” has been a zoo favorite since his arrival at the Alexandria Zoo and his life here has reached across generations. Grandparents, parents, children and grandchildren all gained an appreciation for this magnificent species.

It wasn’t until an individual from Arkansas contacted Les Whitt several years ago about another matter, that the possibility of securing giant tortoises became real. This person owned a private collection of giant tortoises - three Galapagos tortoises (Geochelone nigra) and three Aldabra tortoises. Arrangements were made to loan the six giant tortoises to the Alexandria Zoo for an undetermined period of time. Whitt discussed the purchase of the tortoises with the owner, who decided that all three Aldabra tortoises should be kept together, which meant purchasing all three or none. In an effort to effectively contribute to the conservation of Geochelone gigantea, FOTAZ and the City of Alexandria purchased the three Aldabra tortoises in 2007. Presently all six giant tortoises (Galapagos and Aldabra) are housed at the Zoo in the African exhibit’s large tortoise yard. In the spring, the Galapagos tortoises will be transferred to the flamingo yard where a new barn has been constructed for them. The Alexandria Zoo hopes to be able to purchase the three Galapagos tortoises during the next year.

Galapagos Tortoises (Geochelone nigra) are also considered Vulnerable (on the IUCN Red List) and are protected. One subspecies is already extinct, two others are extinct in the wild, four subspecies are endangered and one is critically endangered due to predation by feral animals.