Attempt numero two-photobucket still playing up but I think you should be able to access this forum.
Along with some terrapins and a horse I rode and the hotel's pet dog. There were a few other bits and bobs, an alligator snapping turtle, some sullies, some leopards and some reds but didn't have the camera charged for that. Originally, Mauritius had two species of giant torts, Cylindraspis inepta and Cylindraspis triserrata but when Mauritius became inhabited by the Dutch in 1638 the islands' many unique species got wiped by the introduction of invasive species such as pigs and dogs as they had not been used to this kind of thing before, only the Arabics and Portuguese knew about it but never settled there. Bringing slaves from Rodrigues and Madagascar they established a community on the previously undisturbed island, but wrecked a lot of the wildlife including the dodo. The hope is eventually to introduce aladabra giants back into the ecosystem. The photos below are from private, public and conservation efforts where they keep them very naturally, such as Casela National Park. Even in the enclosures, one pair of 4 year olds had a 2 acre enclosure. Nearly all of them are CB, raised in quite dry conditions but with humid hides. They are kept outside year round. As you can see from the photos, one of the main foods they feed is sugar cane, not usually considered good but seems to work. It is quite dry surprisingly but then we went in winter and the dry season. I was talking to the keepers of the aladabra and sully enclosures and they said this time of year enclosure humidity is around 50-60%, in summer around 70%. Temps are natural so in winter above 15 at night, and day temps between 19-23, summer temps are usually around 28 in day, 24 at night, never getting higher than 35. I was surprised to see how well these hotel and private collections kept these giants. Conservation and eco-tourism is evidently important there, as the natives are very passionate about protecting their rare species such as the Mauritian Kestrel. See here for pics:
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/s...9.asp?tID=6544
Along with some terrapins and a horse I rode and the hotel's pet dog. There were a few other bits and bobs, an alligator snapping turtle, some sullies, some leopards and some reds but didn't have the camera charged for that. Originally, Mauritius had two species of giant torts, Cylindraspis inepta and Cylindraspis triserrata but when Mauritius became inhabited by the Dutch in 1638 the islands' many unique species got wiped by the introduction of invasive species such as pigs and dogs as they had not been used to this kind of thing before, only the Arabics and Portuguese knew about it but never settled there. Bringing slaves from Rodrigues and Madagascar they established a community on the previously undisturbed island, but wrecked a lot of the wildlife including the dodo. The hope is eventually to introduce aladabra giants back into the ecosystem. The photos below are from private, public and conservation efforts where they keep them very naturally, such as Casela National Park. Even in the enclosures, one pair of 4 year olds had a 2 acre enclosure. Nearly all of them are CB, raised in quite dry conditions but with humid hides. They are kept outside year round. As you can see from the photos, one of the main foods they feed is sugar cane, not usually considered good but seems to work. It is quite dry surprisingly but then we went in winter and the dry season. I was talking to the keepers of the aladabra and sully enclosures and they said this time of year enclosure humidity is around 50-60%, in summer around 70%. Temps are natural so in winter above 15 at night, and day temps between 19-23, summer temps are usually around 28 in day, 24 at night, never getting higher than 35. I was surprised to see how well these hotel and private collections kept these giants. Conservation and eco-tourism is evidently important there, as the natives are very passionate about protecting their rare species such as the Mauritian Kestrel. See here for pics:
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/s...9.asp?tID=6544
