The 100-year-old, 450-pound Galapagos tortoise at the
Toledo Zoo was moved from the Ziems Conservatory to his new home with an
enviable view at the rear of the formal gardens.
But his neighbors, the gorillas, might be a tad on the
noisy side at times.
No matter: Emerson has a “mud wallow” area where he can go
when he needs to relax or cool down, said R. Andrew Odum, the Assistant Director
of Animal Programs and Curator of Herpetology at the zoo.
The big move started early on Tuesday, when Emerson was
lured from his winter home in the conservatory with a carrot by Hannah
Gerritsen, a herpetology keeper — who let him have an occasional nibble so he’d
move forward a few inches at a time.
Once he was coaxed outdoors into the warm sun, Emerson was
lifted onto a makeshift dolly by four men.
“He is not light,” one of the men said.
As they wheeled Emerson, he used his front left foot like a
paddle, as if helping to propel himself. Before reaching his destination, he
had to be adjusted several times.
It seemed as if he might have preferred to walk. But zoo
officials might still be out there if they had let him do that. He doesn’t move
swiftly, to say the least.
His new enclosure is blocked off from the public by a low
fence of wooden posts and rope, over which visitors can easily see him.
A zoo employee will be at the Galapagos Garden to make sure
that no visitors climb the rope and slip through the fence. The bodyguard can
explain what Emerson is up to, Odum said.
After being in his new space for just moments, Emerson had
drawn a crowd.
Willah Hoeleze watched with 9-year-old friends, Elin
Fields, Anna Ellingson and Maddie Heben.
Willah guessed that Emerson weighs “900 trillion pounds,”
then settled on a more reasonable 1 million pounds.
“I think he’s really cool and slow,” she said.
The girls agreed that their favorite thing about Emerson is
his neck.
“I like how it stretches out,” Elin said.
They were most impressed with his age, though.
“He’s older than Nana,” Elin noted.
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