Baby ‘meat eating’ tortoises travel 350 miles from Mansfield to new home in Fife

Red-footed tortoises are unusual given they are one of the very few number of tortoise species which require protein in their diet.

Having hatched at White Post Farm in Farnsfield in 2021, the tortoises embarked upon an immense journey to their new home north of the border.

Specialist keepers from White Post Farm accompanied the tortoises throughout the entirety of their journey ahead of the tortoises going on display at Fife Zoo this week.

The majority of tortoise species are herbivores, relying on grasses and plants to form the basis of their diet.

Red-footed tortoises also enjoy edible greens, but are considered omnivores given that their diet also includes slow moving invertebrates such as worms, slugs and snails.

Native to South America, red-footed tortoises are also recorded to have eaten the carrion of mammals and birds in the wild.

The tortoises’ move from Nottinghamshire to Scotland is part of a conservation programme to manage the captive number of red-footed tortoises.

According to conservationists, these tortoises are now considered vulnerable to the threat of extinction due to increased habitat loss in their native range and an increasing number of cases of smuggling for the illegal pet trade.

Mike Knight, Fife Zoo director, said: “We’re delighted to welcome our three baby red-footed tortoises to Fife Zoo and know they are going to be popular with all of our visitors now they have gone on display having completed all of their initial health checks.

“We are hoping these tortoises will be ambassadors for their wild counterparts and their presence in the zoo will help to raise awareness of devastating habitat loss in South America. Unfortunately, there are also a rising number of people deciding to own an exotic pet such as tortoises without realising the specialist care that they require.

“Red footed tortoises have very specific temperature and humidity requirements and their diet differs significantly from most other tortoises.”

Fife Zoo is currently expanding as part of a 10-year plan, with the zoo’s other animals including the endangered Grevy’s zebra and sulcata tortoises, which are the third largest species of tortoise in the world.