Four hundred kilos and almost two meters in length, this is the size that those considered to be the largest land tortoises living today can reach: the giant tortoises of the Galapagos. Currently, fifteen different subspecies survive, one of them is the chelonoidis niger, extinct in the wild. BIOPARC Fuengirola has been working on its conversation since 2013 and a few weeks ago it received a new male from the Barcelona Zoo, which will live with two young females.

Hermes, as this young male is called, is twenty years old and, at the moment, his weight exceeds 150 kilos. Since their arrival, the team has worked to ensure their adaptation is successful, respecting their diet and timing of approaching the females, with which they have observed copulations. “We are still in the process of adaptation and observing each of the behaviors with the females. The first day was separated. Afterwards it went well and, like all male turtles, it always tries to copulate,” explains Milagros Robledo, head of Herpetology.

Now, after observing that everything is evolving favorably, the team has begun to carry out training with this new male, exercises that allow medical examinations to be easy and simple, without the animal suffering any type of stress. Through weekly exercises, a bond of trust is created with their caregivers, allowing these possible veterinary checks to be carried out successfully.

BIOPARC Fuengirola works on the conservation of the subspecies Chelonoidis niger since 2013

All subspecies of giant tortoises are threatened, but some of them, such as the Chelonoidis niger It is already extinct in the wild, they were the subspecies of Floreana Island, in the archipelago of the Galapagos Islands. For this reason, The work carried out by conservation centers such as BIOPARC Fuengirola is essential with the mission of reproducing them to guarantee a possible reintroduction into their natural environment.

Until the arrival of this male, the Malaga animal park housed two specimens, both 26 years old and female. Despite their age, they are still very young. Their life expectancy far exceeds 100 years., there are some known specimens that have exceeded this age. They are one hundred percent vegetarian and very easy to handle and train, something that their caregivers work on every day to guarantee their well-being and allows the veterinary team to carry out the necessary checkups such as, for example, blood tests or ultrasounds.