Tortoises 16-10-2004
The tortoises have been resident on this
property for 40+ years. A few have been added over the years by neighbours whose
dogs have had a go at them. Most of them however have been born here with one
male being dominant.
The dominant male was nearly taken out one year by a
gardener who decided he needed to kill a few. Luckily of the four he stabbed
with the garden fork we only lost one. The old male had a huge hole in his shell
and after weeks of treatment the inside formed a leathery covering. We then
fixed his shell with some fiberglass. This was about 10 years ago and he is
still going strong, much to the despair of the other males!
This is the time of
year that things hot up as "spring" is in the air. This is also the
time that eggs are laid and some hatch. The baby in the pictures still has its
egg tooth, visible just below it's nose.
