Ballarat Wildlife Park star celebrates giant birthday

By Meg Rayner
Updated November 2 2012 - 3:34pm, first published January 6 2011 - 11:12am
Hugo the Aldabran giant tortoise turned 80 at the Ballarat Wildlife Park yesterday. Picture: Jeremy Bannister
Hugo the Aldabran giant tortoise turned 80 at the Ballarat Wildlife Park yesterday. Picture: Jeremy Bannister

HUGO the tortoise celebrated his 80th birthday at the Ballarat Wildlife Park yesterday.The 202 kilogram Aldabran giant tortoise comes from the Seychelle Islands and is one of three of its kind at the park. Ballarat Wildlife Park keeper Stuart Parker said while 80 might seem old, it was relatively young."They're expected to live until at least 200 years, with the record being 250 years, so at 80 it's like being 21 in human years," he said."He's in the prime of his life."Hugo was born in the wild and moved to Ballarat about 10 years ago from the Melbourne Zoo. For his birthday, keepers gave Hugo a cake, which he timidly nibbled at before reverting to a red capsicum."I don't think he likes the sugar, he prefers his vegies," Mr Parker said.

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