FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) – The Fort Wayne Zoo has announced that the radiated tortoises have laid eggs for the first time in the Zoo’s history. 

The tortoises have been with the Zoo since they were small, and after several years, they have laid eggs.

The tortoises are critically endangered, making future breeding exciting news. 

The current Special Survival Plan is that the babies of tortoise Venus will remain at the Fort Wayne Zoo. However, that could change if another tortoise, Aphrodite, has more offspring. 

The Zoo says the tortoises lay eggs and then abandon them, offering no maternal or paternal care. Therefore, the zookeepers care for the eggs. 

Their plan is to chill the eggs for one month at 65 degrees before placing them in an incubator for five to eight months at 88 degrees, ensuring all the eggs produce female tortoises. 

They say the eggs will be put in the incubator on June 5 and should hatch in the winter.

The Zoo says tortoises typically live to be in their 80s, and all of the Zoo’s tortoises are currently in their early 20s.