The resident population of two Egyptian and two Horsfield tortoises formed part of a study of turtles and tortoises living in zoos and aquariums recently published in the prestigious ‘Science’ journal, posing the question; is ageing inevitable for all living organisms? 

And the results appear to show that testudines – the order to which tortoises and turtles belong – do age differently from humans, living in many cases for more than 100 years with little or few signs of physical decline. 

It also discovered that, unlike humans, turtles and tortoises can even prevent or reverse the ageing process in response to improvements in their environment. 

Samir Clark, Head Zookeeper at Calderglen said the team was privileged to have played a part in such important research. He added: “As part of our commitment to conservation and animal welfare, Calderglen Zoo records data on the animals in our collection to ensure our animals are well cared for and can contribute to species population management and conservation. We are proud that the data we have collected and curated on the tortoises in our collection has contributed to this study, and helped researchers better understand aging in these species.”

 

This study, published in June this year, appears to compound the outcomes of research following the death a decade ago of Lonesome George, the Galápagos tortoise who became famous as the sole survivor of his species. George was thought to have been around 100 years old when he died and the results of genome sequencing published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, in 2018 were ground-breaking.

With a super-charged immune system that carried 12 copies of a tumour-fighting gene (as opposed to just one in a human) George’s results suggest the tortoises may even have evolved stronger defences against cancer. 

Calderglen Zoo is a member of Species360, a non-profit organisation that maintains the Zoological Information Management Systems (ZIMS) – the largest database on wildlife in human care. Added Samir: “As a holder of different species of tortoises, it was through our membership of ZIMS that the data we collect on these animals directly contributed to this study. It has been fascinating to be a part of, particularly as the outcomes have shown such overwhelming evidence that tortoises hold so many answers to the questions, we humans have. 

“Who knows where these discoveries will lead in the fight against age-related illness and even in the long term aims to overcome cancers and auto-immune diseases. The humble tortoise could really change lives.” 

Despite their contribution to global science, the tortoises at Calderglen Zoo haven’t allowed the glory to go to their heads and can still be enjoyed daily - along with more than 50 other species of small bird, reptile, and mammal - for the admission price of just £1.85 per adult, 95p for children. Under 3s go free.

Despite being considered critically endangered in the wild, each has come to the Zoo from the UK pet trade, with owners having taken them on as pets, and finding themselves unable to care for their unique and specific needs over a life span longer than most domestic pets. 

Concluded Samir: “We love to see visitors get excited about the collection we have here and get the chance to enjoy them in a protected environment. This also allows us to tell their wider story, and make sure as many people as possible know that the pet trade is no place not just for a lot of species of tortoise and reptile but for tamarin monkeys and primates in general.” 

Visitors can, however, get a little closer to many of these animals in the Zoo’s protected environment by signing up for the popular Little Zookeeper package, available throughout the year. For more information get in touch with the team at the park.