Mr. Pickles, a 90-year-old tortoise and the oldest animal at the Houston Zoo, is a father for the first time. (Houston Zoo)
Houston
The oldest animal at the Houston Zoo is a first-time father.
Officials with the zoo said Mr. Pickles, a 90-year-old tortoise, has become a proud dad for the first time after three radiated eggs recently hatched.
According to the zoo, Mr. Pickles has been at the zoo for 36 years with his companion, Mrs. Pickles, since 1996.
The new tortoise babies are named Dill, Gherkin and Jalapeno. They will remain behind the scenes until big enough to join their parents.
Zookeepers said the new hatchlings came as a surprise with them spotting Mrs. Pickles laying the eggs during closing time.
According to the zoo staff, they had to move the eggs to a safe spot because the soil isn’t hospitable for Madagascar native tortoises and the eggs were unlikely to hatch on their own.