On May 23 it is celebrated World Tortoise Day - an animal that symbolizes wisdom, wealth and longevity!
The unusual holiday originated in 2000 at the initiative of the American Tortoise Rescue Society. This organization was founded by enthusiasts in 1990 in Malibu (California, USA) to preserve the population of tortoises living on the outskirts of the city.
The purpose of the holiday was to draw public attention to the problem of the death of a large number of tortoises due to the proximity to humans. On this day, in all places of residence of tortoises, actions are held, during which volunteers rescue animals, making transitions for them under busy highways in places of migration or in other dangerous places. Also, the participants are doing everything to ensure that the shores, where tortoises lay eggs, have the status of protected areas.
In recent years, Tortoise Day is celebrated not only in those parts of the globe where these animals are found, but also in many other countries. On this day, people try to exclude from their diet dishes from tortoises, and from use - household items made from their shells (combs, boxes, etc.).
The celebration itself includes masquerades with funny scenes from the lives of animals, stories about tortoises, exhibitions of tortoises, sending funny postcards with their image.
Mykolaiv zoo has 28 species of tortoises. You can see some of them on our ponds and in the summer enclosure for tortoises.