By adopting a Giant Tortoise you will be contributing to their care as well as helping to halt species decline.
Your adoption directly helps us care for our resident tortoises, Elvis, Timmy, Miley, Cleo, and Dora, who we’ve been caring for since 1986. These gentle giants were rescued during their illegal importation and have been enjoying a peaceful life here at Paignton Zoo.
By adopting a giant tortoise, you’re not only contributing to their care but also making a real impact in the global effort to protect these fascinating and wise creatures. And, to top it all off, your adoption comes with a wide selection of exciting benefits as a thank you for your contribution.
Why Adopt A Giant Tortoise?
Aldabra giant tortoises are remarkable reptiles. They are found in the wild on the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles. These slow-moving creatures can live for up to 200 years. What’s more, they are crucial to maintaining the ecosystems they inhabit, feeding on vegetation, invertebrates, and carrion.
Sadly, these tortoises are currently classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They face threats from climate change, habitat destruction, and even poaching. Your adoption helps us in our fight to protect this noble species, providing them with the food, care, and environment that they need.
Choose from a range of adoption packages, each offering great rewards for tortoise lovers!
Digital Adoption Pack – £25
A digital adoption is an affordable way to contribute to the care and protection of our tortoises.
What Are The Benefits Of Digital Tortoise Adoption?
With a digital pack, you’ll receive the following benefits:
- Your Name On Our Adoption Website For 12 Months: We show your support on our hall of fame, displayed online on our website for a full year.
- A Certificate Of Adoption: A personalised certificate recognising your commitment to our tortoises.
- A Digital Animal Factsheet: Discover fun and educational facts about Aldabra giant tortoises with our informative digital factsheet.
Bronze Giant Tortoise Adoption Pack – £50
Support our tortoises in a meaningful way with the bronze adoption pack. This pack includes exclusive rewards to celebrate your contribution.
What’s Included With Bronze?
- A Stylised Adoption Box: A beautifully designed box to commemorate your adoption.
- A Name Plaque Displayed For 12 Months: Your name will be displayed on a plaque at the zoo for a full year, with the plaque mailed to you as a keepsake after 12 months.
- A Wooden Animal Factsheet: A unique, eco-friendly wooden factsheet packed with information about Aldabra giant tortoises.
- A Wooden Certificate Of Adoption: A stylish, frameable wooden certificate.
- An Eco-Friendly Car Sticker: show your support for turtles with a fun and eco-friendly car sticker.
- For Kids And Adults:
- Children: A plush Tortoise made from recycled materials.
- Adults: A wooden crafted wooden keyring
Silver Giant Tortoise Adoption Pack – £65/£70
Take your support further with our silver pack. This pack includes all of the bronze rewards and more!
What’s Included With Silver?
- All Bronze Pack Rewards:
- A stylised adoption box
- Name plaque displayed for 12 months
- Wooden animal factsheet
- Wooden certificate of adoption
- Eco-friendly car sticker
- For children: A plush toy
- For adults: A wooden keyring
- One Free Admission To Paignton Zoo: Come down and see the our giant tortoises, as well as the other wonderful animals we care for. The type of ticket you receive will depend on whether you choose a child or adult package:
- For Children: One child ticket
- For Adults: One Adult ticket
Fun Facts About Giant Tortoises
- They Can Live For Up To 200 Years: Aldabra giant tortoises are among the longest-lived living animals out there, with tortoises in captivity living for up to two centuries!
- Their Gender Is Determined By The Temperature: The sex of a tortoise hatchling is decided by the temperatures their eggs experience during incubation. Lower temperatures produce males, while higher temperatures produce females.
- They Can Go The Distance: While turtles are famously slow animals, like humans, they can cover great distances in search of food and basking spots.
- Social or Solitary: Giant tortoises are happy living in groups or on their own, with no strict social hierarchy.
- Daily Sunbather: Tortoises are diurnal, often spending hours basking in the sun to regulate their body temperature.
- Giant means Giant: Aldabra giant tortoises live up to their name and are one of the largest species of tortoise out there. The males reach up to 250kg!
- An Ancient Species: These tortoises have existed for millions of years, making them a living link to the prehistoric era.
- Gentle Giants: Despite their size, Aldabra giant tortoises are peaceful creatures that graze slowly on vegetation.
Note: UK packs are available for UK delivery only. Adoptions apply to the species rather than an individual animal, as animals may be moved to other zoos as a part of breeding programs.