Page 5 - Winter 2012 magazine-1

A Year in Review

by Roger and Susan Kolar

We've had a fabulous year in the Red Rock Canyon
Tortoise Habitat. The first female tortoises came out

of their burrows on March 7, 2011. Max waited three
more weeks, until March 29, to make an appearance.
Our volunteers started feeding the tortoises on March
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12 and continued to feed them twice a week until
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October 22 . That works out to sixty-five feeding
days this year. On some of those days the weather

was beautiful, but on many days it was cold and
windy; and on other days it was hot and windy.
Tortoise Habitat Monitors worked on every feeding

day to ensure that the tortoises never missed a meal.
The tortoises showed their appreciation by putting on

weight. Libby gained almost a pound, topping the
scales at nine and a half pounds. Maxine is still the
largest tortoise; she weighs more than fifteen and a

half pounds. Lucie, the smallest tortoise, gained a
quarter pound to make it up to five and three-quarter

pounds.

Several of the tortoises laid eggs this year. Maxine
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laid fourteen eggs on June 5 and Betty laid six eggs
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on June 12 . Both tortoises were kind enough to dig
their nests near the viewing platforms so visitors got

a great show. Later in the year a tortoise laid eggs
inside a burrow while no one was watching; so we
have a mystery mom in the habitat. The dad to all

these eggs also remains a mystery. He may be a pet
tortoise that was dumped in the habitat a few years

ago. Tortoises can lay eggs every year for up to
fifteen years after mating. Maxine laid eggs two years
in a row; we could have another thirteen years of

“egg watch.” (continued on page 12)
Page 5
Photo by Sue Kolar