Overview

• The Philadelphia Zoo announced the successful hatching of four critically endangered Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises, the first in its 150-year history.
• The hatchlings were born to 'Mommy,' a 100-year-old tortoise and the oldest known first-time mother of her species, and father 'Abrazzo,' paired with her in 2020 under the AZA Species Survival Plan.
• The eggs were incubated at higher temperatures to ensure the hatchlings would be female, a strategy to support the species' genetic diversity and population growth.
• The hatchlings, currently healthy and growing in the zoo’s Reptile and Amphibian House, will make their public debut on April 23, 2025, coinciding with Mommy’s 93rd anniversary at the zoo.
• Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises face critical threats from habitat loss, invasive species, and climate change, with only around 3,400 remaining in the wild.