Endangered turtle bred in UK
Image: Bristol Zoo
Bristol Zoo have become the first in the UK to successfully breed the critically endangered Vietnamese box turtle.
The zoo is part of a European breeding programme and, until now, the only other place in Europe to have bred the turtle, which happens to be one of the rarest in the world, is another zoo in Germany.
The baby, called Vernon, was born in July and is about 5cm (2in) long now. He lives in a boggy tank which replicates his natural habitat, and is hoped to grow to around 1kg (2.2lb) and live for up to 50 years.
Staff at the zoo have said the species was very difficult to breed.
"Not a lot is known about this species so we can learn an awful lot from this baby to improve our chances of breeding more in future," said Tim Skelton, Reptile curator at the zoo.
He added this was a 40-year career highlight for him.
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
