Prague Zoo impresses as the first European zoo to breed impressed tortoises

The two juvenile impressed tortoises now have very soft shells and will stay in the background facilities for the time being. The first time this species has bred in a European zoo is the result of 15 years of effort by the curator, Petr Velenský, and his team. Photo Miroslav Bobek, Prague Zoo.

“It is no exaggeration to say that this breeding is the result of fifteen years of effort,” said reptile curator Petr Velenský. “We received the first three females in April 2008. It wasn’t until 2014 that we had managed to refine the conditions of the terrarium in the Giant Salamander House for these mushroom-eating, stress-prone and mentally sensitive tortoises to such an extent that we and the tortoises were both happy. In the same year, a putative male came to us, but he soon turned out to be the fourth female in our breeding programme,” he added.

Whilst the four females thrived in the exhibit, which mimics the cool mountain environment of the tropics in Southeast Asia, a male was still nowhere to be found, especially since Prague Zoo is the only zoo in Europe to keep this species. Therefore, the zoo expanded its search to a global level. It wasn’t until 2020 that Prague Zoo received information about a suitable individual at Taipei Zoo in Taiwan. But even then, there was another twist in the tail.

“We have a warm relationship with Taipei Zoo - our pair of pangolins came from there too - but the male impressed tortoise we wanted had come to Taipei Zoo as a confiscated animal. His journey to us was therefore complicated by the legislative process. After a very busy time resolving the administrative aspects and transport, which this species does not do well, the male finally arrived in December 2022,” Velenský went on to explain.

As soon as the quarantine ended, the male started courting. At the end of March this year, one of the females laid a clutch of eggs in the nesting pile, which she carefully guarded. Besides the unusual diet, another impressive feature these tortoises display is parental care for the eggs. On June 4, two baby tortoises hatched from them. For the time being they will remain in the breeding facilities, however, visitors can observe the group of adults in the Giant Salamander House.

According to the IUCN Red List, impressed tortoises are an endangered species, and even critically endangered in China. Apart from habitat loss, the cause is the illegal trade in Asian markets. This successful breeding at Prague Zoo is thus a very important achievement. If the hatchlings are successfully reared, the nascent Prague methodology can help other breeding institutions.