Something is new on Reptile Mesa at the San Diego Zoo: a $1-million upgrade to the enclosure for the zoo’s 17 Galapagos tortoises.
The Galapagos tortoises, an endangered species, exist in only two locations: The famous islands off Ecuador, and in zoos.
Many of the 17 have been at the San Diego Zoo since the 1930s; several are thought to be more than 100 years old. One of the zoo’s longtime patrons thought the big reptiles deserved better digs.
And so after some fundraising, the Fetter Family Galapagos Tortoise exhibit opens today.