Local zoo welcomes three endangered species

Battersea Park Children's Zoo (BPCZ) announced the arrival of three new, critically endangered species.

The local zoo has welcomed three pancake tortoises to their reptile and amphibian house.

These flat-shelled tortoises are native to the rocky hills and savannahs of Kenya and Tanzania.

Battersea Park Children's Zoo wrote on Facebook: "As a result of habitat destruction for agriculture and over exploitation for the wildlife trade, the pancake tortoise is classified as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List, meaning they are at extremely high risk of extinction in the wild."

Protective measures are now in place and trade in pancake tortoises is restricted by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

BPCZ are members of the European Endangered Species Breeding Programme for this species and work with modern zoos across Europe to maintain a sustainable population in captivity.