Love or Lust? Only Time Will Shell for ZSL London Zoo’s Giant Galápagos Tortoises

London, United Kingdom, July 22, 2009 --(PR.com)-- He might be going on for around 70-years-old, but one of ZSL London Zoo’s newest animals has not one, but two females living in his brand new boudoir.

Dirk the Galápagos tortoise, and his two new ladies Dolly, 16 and Dolores, 14 are the first inhabitants of the new Giants of the Galápagos exhibit and all three of them have been making the most of their new love shack.

When he arrived at his new home Dirk, who weighs an impressive 200kg (31 stone), had not seen a female tortoise for nearly 18-months – but is definitely making up for lost time. Since being introduced to Dolly and Dolores, Dirk has been mating with them constantly - creating a tortoise love triangle.

Romeo Dirk marks a sharp contrast to the famously solitary Galápagos tortoise “Lonesome George”, who lives alone on the Galápagos Island of Pinta and is thought to be the last there.

ZSL London Zoo’s sprightly pensioner and his svelte ladies, who weigh almost half as much as him, now live in a luxurious love pad kitted out with watering holes, heated mud wallows and climate controlled temperatures.

Ian Stephen, ZSL’s Assistant Curator of Herpetology, said: “I think Dirk has taken quite a shine to Dolly in particular - they travelled here together and have been inseparable ever since.”

The launch of Giants of the Galápagos is part of ZSL’s commitment to spending £25,000 on its Galápagos conservation projects.

www.zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo/exhibits/giants-of-the-galapagos/the-giants-are-coming,1188,AR.html

Visitors will be able to view the Zoo’s three gentle giants in their new home from Friday 17th July.

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Editorial Notes

Galápagos tortoises latin name Geochelone nigra are the world’s largest living tortoises. The reptiles can live up to 150 years. The tortoise is a unique animal found only in the Galápagos Islands, yet there are no more than 200 in the 13 main islands. The name ’Galápagos’ comes from the tortoises shell. Large Galápagos tortoises on some of the islands had a shell that resembled an old Spanish saddle, hence the name Galápagos which in old Spanish means ‘saddle’. They are classed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Galápagos tortoises came under threat when humans arrived at the islands and hunted them for food, causing 3 of the 14 species to vanish completely. Very little hunting occurs these days, but the tortoises are threatened by disease and domestic animals brought to the islands by passing ships. They can weigh over 300kg and can grow up to 1.2 metres (4 ft) long.

The Galápagos Islands and their flora and fauna are famous for the role they played in inspiring Charles Darwin’s thinking on the theory of evolution by natural selection. Discovered in 1535 by the 4th Bishop of Panama after his ship drifted off course, the archipelago consists of 13 main islands, 6 smaller islands, and 107 islets. Administered by Ecuador, the islands straddle the equator in the Pacific, 1000km from the continent. Around 90% of the land area of the archipelago is national park, and a zone extending 40km offshore from the islands is a marine reserve, forming one of the largest marine protected areas in the world.

ZSL’s Galápagos conservation project has established the first ever genetics and pathology laboratory in the Galapagos which has become an important new scientific research centre for Ecuadorian and international scientists. The staff trained under the programme will be trained to address many wildlife disease issues independently, helping them to become the future scientific leaders of the Park. The research activities of the project, include a disease surveillance programme has helped informed critical conservation management decisions. These have been implemented with the support of local stakeholders as the result of outreach and consultation with the local community. Disease surveillance, which had not been on the agenda of the Galapagos National Park before, is now embedded in the conservation management culture of the Galapagos National Park. ZSL has established a wild tortoise health programme which is now integrated with the tortoise captive breeding programme on the Islands. Broader scientific and conservation education capabilities within the Galapagos community have been enhanced by educating, and providing support to, local school teachers. The initial phase of this project sought to establish capacity within the Galapagos National Park to identify, carry out surveillance for, and manage disease threats to Galapagos fauna. This has been achieved and ZSL are now seeking to maximise these benefits by providing continuing training to new and existing staff, and by responding to specific disease management requirements identified by the original work.

Founded in 1826, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is an international scientific, conservation and educational charity: our key role is the conservation of animals and their habitats. The Society runs ZSL London Zoo (www.zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo/) and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo (www.zsl.org/zsl-whipsnade-zoo/}, carries out scientific research in the Institute of Zoology and is actively involved in worldwide field conservation efforts.

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