Radiated tortoises, Ivoloina park, Madagascar

Critically endangered in the wild, yet commonly held around hotels, lodges, etc. Here's a whole bunch of them. According to some, the most beautiful tortoise in the world, and that's pretty bad news for the animal itself.

comments (3)

Christine Young

Lion

They are definitely beautiful. Do you know why hotels have them? As pets? Or, do the tortoises just hang out near such places for free food? Posted 5 years ago, modified 5 years ago
1. Ferdy Christant
  
  Lion
  
  Yes, definitely as pets. As an attraction to guests, and I think they're easy to keep, they don't need that much.
  They're originally from the very dry south where they manage to survive in areas with little vegetation, which may explain why their favorite food is cacti.
  
  That said, there's a lot of wrong ways to keep them. Such as above. This is a solitary animal, they shouldn't be kept in large groups like this. It won't kill them, but it's just not natural. Posted 5 years ago
2. 1. Christine Young
    
    Lion
    
    It's definitely an odd scene to see so many tortoises at once. Posted 5 years ago

The Radiated tortoise

The radiated tortoise is a species in the family Testudinidae. Although this species is native to and most abundant in southern Madagascar, it can be also be found in the rest of this island, and has been introduced to the islands of Réunion and Mauritius. As the radiated tortoises are herbivores, grazing constitutes 80-90% of their diet, while they also eat fruits and succulent plants.

Info 17 0

Similar species: Turtles And Tortoises

Species identified by Ferdy Christant