Mr. Pickles, who is 90 years young, is a new father after three radiated tortoise eggs hatched.
Zoo officials said the little Pickles, named Dill, Gherkin, and Jalapeno, are a big deal for radiated tortoise genetics as their father, Mr. Pickles, is the most genetically valuable radiated tortoise in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan.
Mr. Pickles has been at the zoo for 36 years and has been with his companion, Mrs. Pickles, since she arrived in 1996. Together, they have previously only had one little Pickle between them. Officials said the new little Pickles will remain behind the scenes in the Reptile and Amphibian House until they are big enough to safely join their parents.
The new hatchlings came as a surprise when a herpetology keeper happened upon Mrs. Pickles as the tortoise was laying her eggs at closing time. The animal care team quickly went to work uncovering the eggs and getting them to the safety of the Reptile & Amphibian House. 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.
Radiated tortoises are critically endangered from over-collection for the illegal pet trade and are known to produce few offspring. By visiting the Zoo, guests are helping save wild animals in Madagascar. A portion of each Zoo membership and admission goes toward helping the Zoo’s partners in Madagascar replant wildlife habitat to save animals in the wild.
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