100-Year-Old Tortoise Leaves San Diego for Ohio

The Galapagos tortoise is taking his turtle power to Toledo

At 100 years old, Emerson the tortoise is ready for a lifestyle change.

The 400-plus-pound Galapagos tortoise is trading the San Diego sunshine for all four seasons in Toledo, Ohio.

โ€œWe just had a partnership with them [the Toledo Zoo], and they had room for one and they needed one,โ€ said Jonny Carlson, reptile keeper at the San Diego Zoo.

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San Diego Zoo Global

On Wednesday, San Diego zookeepers coaxed Emerson into his crate with a trail of carrots. The tortoise landed in Ohio later that night. He spent Thursday slowly and steadily exploring his new habitat.

Emerson is Toledoโ€™s first tortoise in three decades, but Carlson says living alone will suit him just fine.

โ€œHe is so active, and the other tortoises kind of get in his way sometimes,โ€ Carlson said.

Galapagos tortoises can live to be 150 years old, according to the San Diego Zoo.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists Galapagos tortoises as โ€œvulnerableโ€ because their eggs are often eaten by other animals.

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