Edinburgh Zoo welcomes brand new species
Posted 22 Jul 2024
Edinburgh Zoo has welcomed a brand-new species ahead of the summer holidays. Daisy, Shelly and Lancelot, female leopard tortoises, recently arrived from Blackpool Zoo and can be spotted by visitors in the zoo’s pygmy hippo house.
Leopard tortoises are native to the savannas of eastern and southern Africa and can live to be up to 100 years old. They get their name from the distinctive black spots and dashes of yellow on their shells and are the fourth largest species of tortoise in the world, weighing in at up to 13kg – a little more than a 24 pack of Irn-Bru.
Visitors can book tickets to Edinburgh Zoo online and save at edinburghzoo.org.uk/tickets
Notes to Editors
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Images are available at: https://we.tl/t-qgheXLfzhH
Images are free to use but must credit RZSS
Notes to editor:
- Edinburgh Zoo has welcomed a host of new arrivals recently, with more to come. Find out more at https://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/news/whos-new-zoo
- Shelly (10), Lancelot (10) and Daisy (19) could live to be 100 years old
About the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (rzss.org.uk)
- The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) is a wildlife conservation charity with a bold vision: a world which protects, values and loves nature
- Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park are gateways to the natural world through which people can experience nature, learn about the challenges facing wildlife and discover how we harness our expertise in conservation science and animal care alongside the unique power of the RZSS family – our teams, supporters and partners – to save animals from extinction
For further information, please contact comms@rzss.org.uk
