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+--- Thread: 70 released tortoises are thriving (/showthread.php?tid=7873)
70 released tortoises are thriving - Catherine - 04-17-2024
The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens raised 70 Mohave Desert Tortoises in a head start program.
The eggs are laid by female tortoises in human care. The hatchlings were raised indoors for 6 months which allowed them to grow faster.
Then they were kept in a protected outdoor environment before being released to the wild. The 70 tortoises released adapted well to the wild. They even dug their own burrows and survived the winter.
There is a second group of tortoises being raised who will be released in 6 months.
https://people.com/70-endangered-tortoises-thriving-in-wild-6-months-after-release-8634396#:~:text=Seventy%20critically%20endangered%20Mojave%20desert,native%20habitat%2C%20the%20Mojave%20Desert.
I am happy to hear about the success of the tortoises in the wild. The head start program does give them a big advantage. They are much larger at a younger age and less vulnerable to predators. The Mohave Desert Tortoises are essential to the ecosystem and finding a way to restore their numbers will help the health of their desert habitats. Hopefully they can restore them to their whole natural range.