The San Diego Zoo has one of the largest colonies of Galápagos tortoises in the world. We have had these giants in our care since 1928, making them the oldest residents in the Zoo. That’s the year when Charles Townsend of the New York Zoological Society began his efforts to save the tortoises from extinction by collecting juvenile tortoises and setting up colonies for them in North American zoos. These tortoises weighed between 11 and 30 pounds (5 to 13 kilograms), and it would be years before they reached breeding size.

In 1933, an adult tortoise was brought from Isabela Island and weighed a respectable 475 pounds (215 kilograms). Named Speed at the time, he lived at the Zoo until his death (at an estimated 150 years old) in 2015, and was our largest tortoise. The original tortoises sent to the San Diego Zoo (yes, 9 of them are still with us!) are well over 100 years old today. Our first Galápagos tortoise hatching occurred on October 21, 1958. Since then, we’ve had 94 successful hatchings at our Zoo.

One of our tortoises, a large male named Gerty, participated in the making of the 1941 movie Malay, with Dorothy Lamour and Jack Haley. In the film, the hero is very thirsty after hours in the jungle and at long last comes to a beautiful pool of water. Sitting down on a log, he is badly frightened to discover that his “log” is a live alligator. He rushes to the bank, where he sits on a large stone. The stone, of course, turns out to be Gerty.

Currently, our tortoise herd numbers 12 individuals, representing at least five subspecies. Each tortoise has its own unique personality: some are really shy while others are more interactive with their keepers, stretching up for a neck rub or to eat right out of the keeper’s hand.

The Fetter Family Galápagos Tortoise Habitat: Our tortoises' outdoor area was remodeled in 2010 to include a touchable collection of replica tortoise shells, along with a more spacious, heated indoor area with a deep, indoor nest area, walls coated with a special cushiony rubber to prevent shell injury, and skylights and windows to give the building a bright, airy feel.

Finding a way to summon them into the indoor area at night was challenging, yet the answer may be clear as a bell—a cowbell, that is! Starting off with baby steps, wildlife care specialists ring the bell and offer a small pile of carrots in front of the tortoises so they learn to associate the sound of the bell with delicious treats, gradually increasing the distance over time, where a jackpot of treats await. Cowbell training may also come in handy for weighing the tortoises; the Galápagos tortoise care specialists ring the bell and offer rewards once the animal is on the scale, making the process easy for all!

Years ago, Zoo visitors had direct contact with the tortoise herd, and many people remember “riding” on the tortoises as children. Times change, and since our tortoises are ambassadors for an endangered species, we have new ways for people to connect with our tortoises. A life-size Galápagos tortoise bronze figure allows guests to “sit on a tortoise” for photos.

And we now have an interactive zone for close encounters: when a wildlife care specialist is present, guests can enter the zone and feed vegetable snacks to the tortoises and, perhaps, offer a neck scratch, which the animals love! Tortoises are attracted to the colors found in flowers, which are one of their favorite foods. Try wearing your brightest clothing, and see if you get the attention of a Galápagos tortoise!