Zoo tortoises' speed lessons

The new extension area is a great addition to the giant tortoise exhibit. They have much more room to roam outdoors, and the various substrates give our trio of Aldabra tortoises an enriched environment designed to stimulate them day today.

We knew the outdoor extension would prove more challenging for us to bring the tortoises indoors for the evening. They are very slow moving animals, plodding along at less than one mile per hour.

It has been a very slow process. We anticipate the training will carry on throughout the summer until our tortoises really get the hang of it but the patience of the team has really paid off so far.

Despite his name, Speedy is always the last one in at the end of the day. We expect this is down to being older and wiser!

When we hold the target above the tortoises’ head they will stretch up tall with their necks to reach it which enables us to place a mirror underneath them for our vet team to check their undercarriage for any health issues.

We began the training roughly six months ahead of the extension area being completed, using a target and the tortoises’ favourite foods. We held the target a few centimetres in front of them and when they touched it with their nose we gave a verbal bridge ‘good’ and fed them a piece of food; we then moved the target further away and repeated the process which encouraged them to move along at a steady pace. As the behaviour got stronger we gradually increased the distance between them and the target.