Taronga Western Plains Zoo’s beloved Galapagos Tortoises have moved! The five adult tortoises and three juveniles were recently relocated to temporary homes behind the scenes. This means visitors won’t be able to see them for a few months.

Galapagos Tortoises can be quite sensitive to noise, and with construction of the Zoo’s new Platypus Rescue HQ – located right next to the tortoise habitat – ramping up in June, zoo keepers and vets decided to move the tortoises to a quieter location to ensure their welfare. Whilst their habitat is empty, the Zoo will take the opportunity to build new housing for the juvenile tortoises.

“The juveniles are getting bigger and it won’t be long before they’ll start to outgrow their hatchling housing,” Galapagos Tortoise Keeper Jordan Michelmore said. 

“They aren’t big enough to live with the adults as yet, that’s still a while away, so we’re building new housing that will meet their needs as they continue to grow and develop. Whilst the adult habitat is empty, we’re also going to make some improvements to the landscaping.”

After retro-fitting a holding yard to support the tortoises through Dubbo’s cold winters, the zoo’s expert zoo keeping and asset maintenance teams worked together to plan and execute the move of the five adults, each weighing between 130 and 270 kilograms each and ranging in age from 50 to 100 years old!

This involved moving the individual tortoises one at a time.

“Each tortoise was encouraged, using a favourite food, to walk onto a purpose-built platform,” Jordan said. “Removable poles around the outside of the platform ensured that the tortoise was secure for the journey.”

The platform was then lifted onto a truck via forklift, with Jordan accompanying each tortoise on board the truck for the 5 minute drive to their new temporary home.

“Once we arrived, a backhoe was used to lift the platform from the truck and lower it into the yard. The poles were removed and each tortoise walked off the platform and into their new home,” Jordan said.

This process was repeated five times over a period of two hours, with all five moves going smoothly and all tortoises travelling well. The largest tortoise, Albert, even stuck his head out and watched the world go by during the drive.

“On arrival our priority was to ensure each tortoise knew where their heated night house was located,” Jordan said.

“They settled well after the move, adjusting to their different surroundings, which was really pleasing to see.

“We can’t wait to make the improvements to their habitat over the coming months and then to welcome them back to their renovated home in the spring, once Platypus rescue HQ is also complete.”

You can watch the move for yourself on the Taronga Western Plains Zoo Facebook page! Keep an eye out for updates on the Galapagos Tortoises in this column and via the Zoo’s social media channels.