70 released tortoises are thriving

[Catherine]

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-tortois...%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.