Where on the Southern East Coast of the US would be the best place to see a Galapagos Tortoise in captivity?

Question

My daughter would like to see a real Galapagos Tortoise.

Anyone know if there are any in a zoo here on the east coast?

NC, GA, SC, FL?

I remember seeing one at an Alligator Farm when I was a little girl.

I don't remember where though.

Any ideas?

She wants to see one and she loves turtles.

Answer 1

eMail Richard Cary Paull, courtesy of this site: http://www.greennaturebooks.com/index.cf...

He used to have a large display of tortoises in the Florida area that people could look at for free. It used to include several giant species.

By the way- the Aldabra Giant Tortoise is easier to find in zoos, and looks a lot like the very rare Galapagos.

Also:

Columbia SC Riverbanks Zoo http://www.riverbanks.org/animals/factsh...

Answer 2

Look up a turtle named 'lonesome george' on the internet. He's the last of a subspecies of galapagos tortoises, I think.

Answer 3

I can only think of 3 in Florida off the top of my head. They are the Santa Fe Community College Teaching Zoo in Gainesville, the St. Augustine Alligator Farm in St Augustine and the Miami Metro Zoo in Miami. Links to each are below. Hope this helps.