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ANIMALS

Gallery: giant tortoise at Zurich Zoo is mother at 80

A Galapagos giant tortoise at Zurich Zoo has become a mother again at the age of 80.

Gallery: giant tortoise at Zurich Zoo is mother at 80
Photo: Samuel Furrer/Zurich Zoo

IN PICTURES: nine babies hatched to Nigrita the giant tortoise at Zurich Zoo

Nigrita the tortoise conceived with her 54-year-old toy boy Jumbo late last year.

Her eggs were held in a special incubator at Zurich Zoo before nine baby tortoises hatched successfully between February and April, the zoo said in a statement on Tuesday.

Nigrita arrived at the zoo in 1946 and was thought to be around ten years old at the time.

The 100 kilogram tortoise was a late starter where motherhood was concerned, producing her first young in 1989.

In the 27 years since then the tortoise has produced around 300 eggs and hatched 91 babies.

Zurich Zoo is the only place in Europe where Galapagos giant tortoises are bred. The resulting young are given to some 15 institutions across the continent.  

An endangered species, Galapagos giant tortoises can live for more than 100 years, making them the longest-lived of all vertebrates, according to National Geographic.

After mating, a tortoise buries her tennis-ball-sized eggs in the sand, and young hatch some four months later.

The tortoises reach sexual maturity at around 25 years old and continue to grow until they are 40.

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PARIS

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Efforts to relocate wild rabbits that are a common sight on the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex have provoked criticism from animal rights groups.

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

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