Bristol Zoo Makes A Huge Leap Forward In Their Work With Endangered Asian Chelonians
Since his fascinating adventure to Vietnam, Tim Skelton, curator of reptiles and amphibians at the Bristol Zoo, has been increasingly eager to reproduce the endangered Cuora mouhoutii, a native resident of the Asian country. It has been a long 12 years, and the zoo has finally broke the ribbon and successfully hatched two tiny hatchlings. After a nerve-racking 6 months, the eggs finally pipped and the neonates emerged, to the delight of all the zoo staff. Considering that there are only 15 specimens residing in European zoos, this is a feat well worth noting, and Skelton believes that this may be the first successful hatching in all of Europe. It is currently unknown what sex the new arrivals will be until they reach maturity, which may take from 5-10 years. Bristol Zoo is optimistic for future successful hatches to continue to build a larger assurance colony for this beautiful turtle species.
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Photo from Bristol Zoo.
