A herpetology keeper saw “Mrs. Pickles” laying her eggs at closing time, and the hatchlings “came as a surprise,” the zoo claimed in a news release.
The reptile and amphibian house received the eggs after the animal care staff acted quickly to move them there. The zoo wrote that the eggs probably wouldn’t have hatched on their own if the keeper hadn’t been in the right location at the right time because the Houston soil is unsuitable for the native Madagascar tortoises.
Jackelin Reyna/Houston Zoo
A herpetology keeper saw “Mrs. Pickles” laying her eggs at closing time, and the hatchlings “came as a surprise,” the zoo claimed in a news release.
The reptile and amphibian house received the eggs after the animal care staff acted quickly to move them there. “The soil in Houston isn’t hospitable to the Madagascar native tortoises, and it’s unlikely the eggs would have hatched on their own if the keeper hadn’t been in the right place at the right time,” the zoo wrote.
Jackelin Reyna/Houston Zoo
The new hatchlings are kept in the shadows until they are old enough to rejoin their parents safely.
Jalapeo, Dill, and Gherkin are the names assigned to the four hatchlings, which are all appropriately pickle-themed. The Gherkin has a white dot in the middle, while Dill and Jalapeo have lighter Gherkin shells. Jalapeo has the darkest shell.
Jackelin Reyna/Houston Zoo
The radiated tortoise is a severely endangered species; it is native to Madagascar, threatened by the illegal pet trade, and produces few offspring, so it’s not only a big surprise given Mr. Pickles’ advanced age, but it’s also fantastic news.
The Houston Zoo called their arrival a “big deal” that would aid the species’ survival. In the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan, they referred to the new father, Mr. Pickles, as “the most genetically valuable radiated tortoise.”
Mr. Pickles has worked at the zoo for 36 years, and Mrs. Pickles has been a companion since her debut in 1996.
Fb.com/ HoustonZoo
Every Houston Zoo membership and the entry fee includes a donation that helps the zoo’s partners in Madagascar replant wildlife habitats and protect animals in the wild.
What amazing news! Congratulations to the Houston Zoo on delivering these seriously endangered newborns and Mr. Pickles on becoming a new father at the age of 90!
