x
Breaking News
More () »

At 90, Mr. Pickles -- the oldest animal at the Houston Zoo -- is a father again

According to zoo officials, the births were a bit of a surprise.

HOUSTON — The oldest animal at the Houston Zoo is a new father!

At 90 years old, ‘Mr. Pickles, the tortoise, is the proud dad of three little ones after the three radiated eggs hatched.

Mr. Pickles has been at the zoo for 36 years and has been with his companion, Mrs. Pickles, since 1996. Before these three, the tortoise couple had only one little pickle and that was back in 1997.

The new tortoises are named Dill, Gherkin and Jalapeño and will remain behind the scenes until they are big enough to join their parents. 

According to zoo officials, the trio of new tortoises came as a surprise, when staffers noticed Mrs. Pickles laying eggs.  Zoo staff moved the eggs to a safe spot since they said Houston soil isn’t good for the Madagascar-native tortoises.

KHOU 11 on social media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

  

Before You Leave, Check This Out