by Pa Rock
Friend of the Earth
The fate of one of Earth's critically endangered species got a brief reprieve on February 27th when the first of four Western Santa Cruz Galapagos tortoises was born at the Philadelphia Zoo. Apparently there are more eggs still incubating, so that number could rise. The proud parents, Mommy, and her mate Abrazzo, are each very near 100 years old. Mommy has been a resident of the Philly Zoo since 1932, and Abrazzo, the stud in a shell, arrived in 2020 and apparently got right to work.
Mommy now holds the record for being the oldest known first-time mother of her species. Galapagos tortoises, both in the wild and in captivity, often live to the century mark, and a few have even survived to the ripe old age of two-hundred.
In the 1950's, when I was but a lad, my family visited the San Diego Zoo at Balboa Park on two occasions. I believe I was six and nine during those trips. One of my favorite exhibits at that zoo was the large fenced-in area with the giant tortoises, a species that had roamed the Earth, albeit very slowly, since before humans showed up and began spoiling it all.
Then a few years ago while I was living and working on Okinawa, friends and I visited a neighboring island called Ie Shima, where famed American journalist Ernie Pyle was killed during World War II. That afternoon, after a climb up Mt. Gusuku, we went for a drive around the small island and accidentally came upon a fenced-in yard surrounding a traditional Okinawan home on a rocky hillside. Roaming the yard were several giant tortoises who seemed quite happy in their surroundings. The tortoise sanctuary was not an official part of the island's tourism plan, but we spent more time standing at the fence watching the big tortoises lumber about than we did at any other site that day.
The giant tortoises are fascinating creatures, and I wish them Godspeed in their struggle for survival. May they be here until wilderness once again covers the land.
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