VIDEO – 90-Year-Old Tortoise, Mr. Pickles, Fathers Three Hatchlings at Zoo: ‘It’s a Big Dill’

A 90-year-old tortoise has fathered three hatchlings at the Houston Zoo, an event which surprised everyone.

Mr. Pickles is a critically endangered animal from Madagascar, the New York Post reported Monday, and he is getting a lot of attention for his accomplishment.

In a blog post on Thursday, the zoo said he is its oldest animal.

“These little Pickles are a big deal (big dill?) for radiated tortoise genetic as their father, Mr. Pickles, is the most genetically valuable radiated tortoise in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Species Survival Plan^®(SSP),” the post read, adding he has lived at the zoo for 36 years, and with his companion, Mrs. Pickles, since 1996.

Video footage shows the tiny babies in their brightly colored shells exploring their surroundings:

At 90 years young, Mr. Pickles is the oldest animal at the Zoo and the newest father of 3 radiated tortoises. It's a big dill for radiated tortoise genetics as their father is the most genetically valuable radiated tortoise in the @zoos_aquariums Species Survival Plan®. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/Su1R3XK43N

— Houston Zoo (@houstonzoo) March 16, 2023

Staff members named the hatchlings Dill, Gherkin, and Jalapeño, the blog continued:

The new hatchlings came as a surprise when a herpetology keeper happened upon Mrs. Pickles as the tortoise was laying her eggs at closing time. The animal care team quickly went to work uncovering the eggs and getting them to the safety of the Reptile & Amphibian House. The soil in Houston isn’t hospitable to the Madagascar native tortoises, and it’s unlikely the eggs would have hatched on their own if the keeper hadn’t been in the right place at the right time.

The hatchlings will live inside the Reptile and Amphibian House until they have grown enough to be around their parents again, per the Post.

90-year-old tortoise Mr. Pickles welcomes three newborns at Houston Zoo https://t.co/aa5SYnk5NK pic.twitter.com/uIrjo8y5JX

— New York Post (@nypost) March 21, 2023

Meanwhile, social media users voiced entertaining comments over the news, one person writing, “Gross he’s gonna be so old taking his kids to school,” while another said, “Atta boy.”

The zoo also noted the animals are considered critically endangered from the over-collection for the illegal pet trade, adding the creatures do not produce many offspring during their lifetimes.

“By visiting the Zoo, guests are helping save wild animals in Madagascar. A portion of each Zoo membership and admission goes toward helping the Zoo’s partners in Madagascar replant wildlife habitat to save animals in the wild,” the post read.

The two adult tortoises reportedly had one hatchling together in 1997, according to the Post article.

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