best tortoise zoo display?

[DeanS]

As tortoise exhibits go...you're gonna be hard pressed to top SD Zoo's Galap exhibit! Wish it was still part of the Petting Zoo...but now it's better for the torts!

 

[Thalatte]

The man who started the SD Zoo was fascinated with torts and kept getting them as presents so they used to have the largest collection of torts and best displays though I don't know if that is still true.

 

[EKLC]

Zoo miami has a great setup for galaps since they have a huge enclosure, a big water pit, plenty of shade, and tropical weather. Too bad the people are so disrespectful.

Which people are disrespectful?

In the 15 minutes or so I was watching the galaps, I saw one guy jump the fence to run and slap one on the shell, and one lady tried to feed a french fries to them before I yelled at her.

We talked to zoo staff about putting someone a presence out there

 

[KingInCulver]

This is often stated with Alligator snappers. They are not swim around guys like marine turtles, they are sit and wait ambush predators. Usually only moving on when all the local fish got them figured out. They also look for mates, and females lay eggs. Otherwise they just 'hang' in one place in the wild for extended periods of time, an do great in tanks that seem to small. For specific reference I saw the one at SDZ a few weeks ago, that ank is plenty fine and big enough for him.

That's not to say bigger would not be nicer, but that turtle really is in a tank large enough for that one individual.

Will

thanks Will, good to know, that makes me feel better for him, probably the same one we saw. we made a second visit to him and just chuckled as people kept looking all around the tank, wondering where he was, when he was right there, front and center, looking like his algae-covered-rock self.

 

[N2TORTS]

Ok Charlie ....here ya go , Here is some of the " BIG BOYZ" pens ...
at the San Diego Zoo .... Enjoy everyone! I would highly put this on the " bucket list " for places to see....for myself being 3rd generation Diegan' and family ties to the zoo...I have been coming here almost 50 years and still always something new to see, as well as all the museums’ and parks that are all adjoining in the surrounding area. Makes for a great few days of things to see.....no doubt~

JD~

 

[cherylim]

San Diego Zoo is stunning...wow! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

The man who started the SD Zoo was fascinated with torts and kept getting them as presents so they used to have the largest collection of torts and best displays though I don't know if that is still true.

Yeah, Charles Shaw (Chuck) is a legend in the zoo world. Unfortunately he was seduced by the dark side, aka, Tom Crutchfield into some shady business and it smirched his career some. But to measure Shaw by his success without regard to that dark time, is to see someone who made zoos a wonderful place to enjoy animals in a positive and informative setting.

All said here can be verified in public records.

Will

 

[acrantophis]

I agree about the San Diego zoo being one of the best. I live a few miles away and we go often. Recently they updated their reptile "Mesa". It came out great. They do a lot of multi species enclosures. I really love the smaller outdoor pens up near the snake building. One of them, my favorite, is a Mediterranean enclosure.
We travel a lot and always check out the zoos. Many are sad places. Never go to the zoo in curacao or surinam. ever. The zoo in Barcelona is great. As is Antwerp, Sao paolo, New Orleans, Bronx, Denver, and Paris. Singapore has a wonderful zoo and a night zoo that is really cool.
All these zoos have multi species tortoise enclosures. Some people may cringe when they see Sao paolo zoo keeping radiata with caimen and red eared sliders! If you ever do go to Sao paolo they have a rare tomistoma! The false gharial. He is a big guy. The rarest crocodilian. Very pretty.

 

[DeanS]

I have nothing to compare it to. I've only ever been to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo.

Funny! The ONLY good about Chaffee is their REPTILE HOUSE! Almost took a job there when I was still at San Diego...the wife nixed that! WHO THE HELL WOULD WANNA LIVE IN FRESNO!?!?!?!?

Although I did like the Hippo exhibit...you actually get to feed the hippos...or did 20something years ago!

 

[DrewsLife727]

I like San Diego zoo lots of different torts and turtles

 

[CourtneyAndCarl]

I have never been to the San Diego Zoo but was told by many people that it isn't very impressive. I live right next to Henry Doorly, though, and have been told by the same people that it's a better zoo. They don't have one tortoise exhibit, but they have a TON of tortoises in several different exhibits. My favorites were the flat-tailed tortoises and the burmese mountain torts.

 

[Arnold_rules]

In Phoenix the Phoenix zoo had a few large torts in a fairly good display but I was more impressed with the world wildlife zoo and aquarium.
They have mainly water exhibits and lots of various turtles. Including a huge alligator snapping turtle, whose enclosure seemed kinda subpar but he was active and seemed healthy. Their other tanks with water turtles were done rather nicely and seemed fairly large.
The zoo portion I wasn't too impressed with as it seemed kinda empty or small but they still had nice enclosures and the torts especially were happy. They had a fairly good sized sulcata you could pet and feed and then next to that exhibit was a good sized set up with a lot of full sized sulcatas. In the reptile house they had smaller tanks with baby torts of various species.

The Phoenix Zoo just added a pair of desert torts to their entrance exhibit. They have a little viewing window in to their sleeping/hibernation area.

 

[Thalatte]

Looks like next trip to Phoenix I am going tote zoo!

 

[irishshake]

I went to Waikiki beach in Hawaii and they had a pretty interesting tortoise set up. Although I live in Canada and its rare to find torts in a zoo . I believe there was roughly about 7-8 types of torts.

 

[surie_the_tortoise]

cleveland zoo has a deal that for a extra price above admision you can give an aldabra a shower and feed it. im gona have check that out soon

 

[jaydog6644]

in bush gardens i pet one

 

[argus333]

ya really sweet right?