Two sulcata tortoises are thriving in their new home after being seized from an exotic pet store in Campbellton, where two boys were killed by a python last month.
Officials at Moncton’s Magnetic Hill Zoo say the tortoises seem to be at peace.
“They have settled in amazingly well, right from day one,” says Magnetic Hill Zoo curator Jamie Carson. “They have been eating very well, travelling around their exhibit, we have got a pool here for them.”
The zoo has welcomed some other new additions recently, taking in anteaters and a pair of Hyacinth Macaw birds from the flood-damaged Calgary Zoo.
“They are one of the largest parrot species in the world,” says Carson of the birds.
“They are highly sought after by both private collectors and zoological facilities. They are really distinct. They are a dark, royal, almost navy blue.”
Two more birds from the Calgary Zoo will fly into the Magnetic Hill Zoo Thursday night.
“Andean Condors are amazing animals,” says Carson. “They are a raptor, which means they are pretty much a large vulture-type bird. They are one of the largest flighted birds in the world.”
The Calgary Zoo says all of the animals displaced by the June floods are now in their new homes.
“Everybody arrived safe and sound at the places that they are going to make their new home and have been welcomed by the communities there, so we are most grateful for that,” says Laurie Skene of the Calgary Zoo.
Carson says the condors arriving from Calgary will be put into open quarantine, which means they will be available for viewing by the public first thing Friday morning.
With files from CTV Atlantic's David Bell
