Philadelphia Zoo Celebrates Historic Hatch of Critically Endangered Tortoise Offspring

Philadelphia Zoo announces the successful hatching of four rare Galapagos tortoise hatchlings, a milestone celebrated as the first of its kind in the zoo's 150-year history, with the older tortoise mother being 100 years old.

Philadelphia Zoo is celebrating a remarkable milestone in its 150-year history with the birth of four hatchlings from a pair of critically endangered Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises, Abrazzo and Mommy. The news, announced this week, has thrilled the zoo community, particularly given that Mommy, who arrived at the zoo in 1932, is recognized as the oldest known first-time mother of her species.

The first egg was laid on February 27, and the remaining eggs began hatching soon after. Currently, the hatchlings, each weighing between 70 and 80 grams, are being closely monitored inside the zoo's Reptile and Amphibian House, where they are growing and thriving. The zoo has scheduled a public debut for the adorable quartet on April 23, coinciding with the 93rd anniversary of Mommy's arrival.

Abrazzo, who joined Philadelphia Zoo in 2020 from the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in South Carolina, has teamed up with Mommy as part of a breeding program aimed at conserving this critically endangered species. With fewer than 50 Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises kept in U.S. zoos, this achievement is instrumental in efforts to ensure genetic diversity and species survival.

Jo-Elle Mogerman, the zoo’s president and CEO, expressed excitement over the hatchlings' arrival, emphasizing the importance of this moment not just for the zoo but for the broader conservation community. "Our goal," she stated, "is to ensure that these hatchlings contribute to a flourishing population of Galapagos tortoises on our planet a century from now."