A pair of endangered giant tortoises are about 100 years old and have become the first parent of the Philadelphia Zoo.

The zoo said the four juveniles of this week were from Abrazzo and Mommy, and the pair of Santa Cruz Galapagos’ tortoise was “happy”.

It says these births are the “first” in the zoo’s history for more than 150 years, and the mother – arriving in 1932 – is the oldest first mother in her species.

Turtles in the western part of the Galapagos Island in Santa Cruz are under serious threat in the wild, with less than 50 in American zoos.

The first egg of Abrazzo and mom’s egg hatched on February 27, and others soon followed. The zoo’s animal care team is monitoring other people who may hatch in the next few weeks.

The four hatching forces weigh 70 to 80 grams.

The zoo says they are kept behind the scenes of reptiles and amphibious houses in the Philadelphia Zoo and are “eating and growing properly.”

It is scheduled to make its public debut in the quartet on Wednesday, April 23, the 93rd anniversary of Mom’s arrival at the zoo.

The hatcheries are part of the association between the zoo and aquarium breeding program, aiming at the survival of species and genetic diversity.

“This is an important milestone in the history of the Philadelphia Zoo, and we are very excited to share this news with our city, region and the world,” Jo-Elle Mogerman, president and CEO of the zoo, said in a statement.

“Mom arrived at the zoo in 1932, which means anyone who visited the zoo in the past 92 years may have seen her,” Ms. Mogman said.

Abrazzo is a newer arrival, moved to Philadelphia in 2020 after living in South Carolina’s Riverside Zoo and Gardens.

She added: “The vision of the Philadelphia Zoo is that these hatcheries will be part of the thriving Galapagos turtle on our healthy planet.”