Recently, the new contact enclosure with big spurred tortoises appeared in the Regional Landscape Park. These are the third-largest reptiles among their mainland relatives. They inhabit the North of Africa: semi-deserts and savannas located to the south of the Sahara Desert. This species is ideally adapted for hot and dry climate; the tortoises are able to dig deep branched holes. They were called so because of firm outgrowths, on hind feet similar to spurs. African spurred tortoise is listed in the IUCN Red Book and many zoos of the world are engaged in conservation of this species. The visitors of the Feldman Ecopark are able to get acquainted closer with exotic giants, to stroke them on a powerful shell, to take memorable photos and to undertake a testudo-therapy session. The African contact enclosure is currently open for everyone. It works daily from 10:00 to 13.00 and from 14:00 to 17:00.
“15 spurred tortoises live in the Feldman Ecopark. In the sunny weather they stay in a spacious enclosure which reproduces their natural habitat. Here are all the things needed — sand, ornamental plants, shallow water stank. For the night and in dull cold days our pets move to the cozy shelter equipped with infrared lamps, hay coverings, food trays and water troughs — Valeriia Ivashchenko, the Feldman Ecopark’s deputy director for zootechnics told.
According to her, the main thing is to follow safety rules and an elementary tact while visiting the spurred tortoises’ cloister.
“Photographing with flash, tapping and slapping the animal’s shell or trying to saddle it is forbidden. You can’t grab the tortoise’s head with hands – it may cause injuries. Preferably, you to observe the behavior of these sedate and at the same time quick creatures – the relax effect is guaranteed” — Valeriia Ivashchenko claims.
By the way, the psychologists established that observation over tortoises and tactile contact with them strengthens nervous system, normalizes emotions, aids in neurasthenia, epilepsy and various other diseases. Such direction of the animal therapy has its name —the testudo-therapy.
It should be reminded that this method, along with others, is used by the specialists of the Feldman Ecopark Centre of Psychosocial Rehabilitation within the “Happy Child” project. The zoo collection of the Regional Landscape Park comprises of fifty tortoises of 12 species: the African spurred tortoise, the Central Asian tortoise, the Leopard tortoise, the red-foot tortoise, the pond slider, the common snapping turtle, the Alligator snapping turtle, the yellow-footed tortoise, the radiated tortoise, the Geoffroy’s side-necked turtle, the matamata turtle and the European pond turtle.
