NEW Zoo of Brown County, WI

Tortoise Walk

May 22nd, 2010

Beginning at 10:00am

Al and Tootie, the NEW Zoo’s wonderful tortoise couple, are getting ready to make their famous Tortoise Walk back to their summer exhibit outdoors. This is an annual event where the Zoo’s two 30 plus year old Aldabra Tortoises move from their winter facility to their summer home in the Children’s Zoo area. The event is quite an undertaking in light of the fact that Tootie, the female Aldabra, weighs in at approximately 150 pounds, and Al, the male, tops the scales at a whopping 425 pounds!

Come and encourage our two giants on as they hit the road on a journey which usually takes approximately 45 minutes. The fun will begin at the Children’s Zoo Barn and will culminate at the tortoise exhibit which is located at the entrance to Children’s Zoo area.
Al and Tootie are among the few animals who will see many generations of visitors over their lifetime. The Zoo expects to begin groundbreaking on a brand new home for the Aldabra tortoises this summer. The new exhibit entitled “Land of the Giants” will incorporate innovative new design features sure to please visitors and our resident tortoises alike!

After you watch Al and Tootie make their annual trek, be sure to say hi to Willow, the newest addition to our animal collection. Willow is a ten year old, 1000 lb female moose from the Riverside Zoo in Scottsbluff, Nebraska who is settling in well to her new home. Willow was a calm traveler during the 16 hour trip by horse trailer and was busy exploring her new exhibit within moments of arriving early Saturday morning. The NEW Zoo moose exhibit, with its natural wetlands and a microclimate hospitable to many northern plant species, is the envy of many zoos. We expect that Willow and our resident bull moose, Dave, will produce a calf next spring.

Published: May 18th, 2010