Aquarium marks rare turtles’ birth
22 Jul 09
A dozen baby Indian spotted turtles that arrived in Birmingham’s National Sea Life Centre are reportedly the first of the species to be born in Britain.
The rare turtles, which hatched from their eggs within hours of each other, looked to be healthy and will soon be fed with small crustaceans and bloodworm, the aquarium’s keepers said.
Graham Burrows, curator of the Sea Life Centre, said: “This is a real coup for our new turtle-breeding facility.
“The new babies will eventually be registered with an international studbook programme to be paired up with others at similar facilities around the world.”
The turtles were born to one of only four breeding pairs of adult Indian spotted turtles in Europe.
The parent turtles were brought to the Sea Life Centre from Rotterdam Zoo in the Netherlands, but were originally from the wild. They are believed to be about 45 years old.
Copyright © Press Association 2009
http://www.sealifeeurope.com/local/index.php?loc=birmingham (National Sea Life Centre in Birmingham)
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