Tortoise tours

30 | August 1, 2013 | cambridge-news.co.uk | Cambridge News

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SLOW, shelled and pretty awe-inspiring, who wouldn’t wantto become best mates with a

giant tortoise?Well, now you can. Linton Zoo

is unleashing its community oftortoises, and you might even seea baby one hatch!

The centre is running behindthe scenes tortoise tours (a bit ofa tongue twister), in aid of theirYupukari River Turtle Conserva-tion Project, based in Guyana.

The idea is you’ll get to meet,touch and feed the Aldabran gianttortoises in the outdoor enclosureon a 15-20 minute tour (appar-ently they quite like bananas and

carrots), before discovering wherethe zoo incubates its tortoise eggsand raises the little hatchlings.

Kim Simmons, director ofLinton Zoo, says: “The last fewgroups have been lucky enoughto actually watch tortoises com-ing out of their eggshells! Thehatchlings can be seen at allthe various different stages, weexplain how we bath them andwhat food we give them, and theysometimes get to see some of thevery special babies that aren’tnormally even on show.”

Although it might seem a littlepricey at £15 a pop, every pennyfrom the tours goes towards the

turtle conservation project. Kimexplains: “We are encouragingand educating people out thereand offering our expertise toimprove the situation with theirriver turtles – which actually theyeat.”

Using traditional local huntingmethods to catch fish and turtlesfrom the river – as they havedone for generations – sadly thetribe are “practically eating theirturtles out of existence.”

Luckily Linton Zoo – andExmoor Zoo – have joined forceswith the Yupukari communityto help sustain their tortoise num-bers.

“The Yupukari project is an ex-citing programme which was ini-tiated by local people themselvesand involves the entire village,”says Kim. “For a long time turtleshave been one of the main foodsources for people in the region.I think they’ve realised they needto invest in their future.”

The project aims to harvesttortoise eggs and construct pondsand artificial nesting areas, sohatchlings can spend their firstyear growing up in a safe environ-ment before being released backinto the wild.

So why should people sup-port the project and go along on

a tour? “It’s an opportunity thatpeople can’t normally experienceand it’s very exciting and educa-tional,” Kim enthuses. “Hopefullypeople will have a much betterunderstanding of these wonder-ful creatures, and of course, themoney they pay is directly con-tributing to the conservation ofa group of animals that in manycases are nearing extinction.”

She adds: “Tortoises have beenaround on our planet for about250 million years, a long timebefore the dinosaurs arrived,they’ve marched straight past thedinosaurs, through to today, onlyto be driven to extinction by thehuman race, so that’s why we’reon a big educational mission withthem.”

ella.walker@cambridge-news.co.uk

Tortoise toursHEROES IN A HALF SHELL: Clockwise from above, a Star Tortoise baby; Dylan, 9, and William, 4,meet a Sulcata Giant Tortoise baby; Corban Wood meets an Aldabran Giant Tortoise; Caitlin Bull, 7,with a Sulcata giant tortoise baby; a Sulcata giant tortoise hatching

COMPARE the giants of the naturalworld with the giants of themechanical world on Wednesday– and touch a real skeleton! TheMuseum of Zoology is teamingup with the Cambridge Museumof Technology for an ‘engineeringin the natural world’ workshop aspart of Summer at the Museums.Investigate how different man-made and natural structures are,and make your own construction totake home. Suitable for all ages, thedrop-in session runs from 2pm until4.30pm. Usual admission applies.Visit www.museumoftechnology.comfor more details.

2. Be a glass actYOU’LL be creating stained glassmasterpieces in no time after aworkshop at the Stained GlassMuseum in Ely on Wednesday. It’son from 2pm until 4pm and allmaterials are provided – just turn upwith a bit of imagination! Suitablefor ages 8+, places cost £8.50. Don’tforget to book on (01353) 660347.

3. Discover a special treePOP along to the Cambridge BotanicGarden on Saturday to hear storiesabout the Magic Brick Tree (it’s astrange tree, all filled up with brickson the inside). For more magic andmischief, crafty little ones can getstuck in to a modelling workshopwhere you can get your handsdirty creating your own wizardingcharacters. Suitable for 5-12-year-olds, drop in anytime between 11amand 3pm – it only costs £3 per child!Call (01223) 331875 for details.

4. Be a warrior for a dayARM yourself with some old clothesand a sturdy pair of shoes for amorning with Hereward the Wake’soutlaw gang on Friday. The WickenWarriors (at Wicken Fen of course),are out roaming again, so preparefor some tough team challenges,lots of games and energy burningtracking. It starts at 10.30am andcosts £4.75 per child. Perfect forwild and adventurous 6-12-year-olds, call (01353) 720274 to bookyour child’s place.

5. Get artyBUDDING Picassos can pop in toKettle’s Yard on Castle Hill for anafternoon of drawing, exploring andmaking this Sunday. From 1pm to4pm the gallery will host its twice-monthly Studio Sundays sessions,where families can go along, soakup the exhibits and invent their owncolourful artworks. It’s completelyfree and there’s no need to book.Visit www.kettlesyard.co.uk or call(01223) 748100 to find out more.

1. Hold a skeleton

� Tortoise Tours, Linton Zoo, HadstockRoad, Linton, daily at 2.30pm. Suitablefor ages 2+ / under 14s must beaccompanied by an adult. Tickets cost£15 from (01223) 891308. Booking isessential.