Want to pet or feed a giant tortoise? New Sedgwick County Zoo experience lets you do that

The Aldabra tortoises at the Sedgwick County Zoo aren’t particularly moody or rebellious. But biologically speaking, 52-year-old Speed, 58-year-old Washington and 69-year-old Missy are teenagers.

These exotic reptiles, who can live up to 200 years, are the newest stars of the zoo’s Wild Encounters initiative, aimed at making the zoo more interactive.

For $40 on top of zoo admission — $35 for members — visitors can enter the tortoise enclosure, feed them carrot sticks, pet their shells and pose for photos.

The Aldabra tortoises are the celebrities of the amphibians and reptiles building, Jennica King, marketing and public relations manager for the zoo, said.

“They greet you as you come in. They say goodbye to you as you leave,” King said.

“They make a really good ambassador for other tortoises and reptiles in general.”

The zoo started giving guests behind-the-scenes experiences with the Humboldt penguins last fall, and King said more encounters are in the works.

“We’ve seen a desire from our guests to want to have an extra experience outside of what you get by just coming to the zoo and seeing the animals, so it’s a program that will grow,” King said. “We’ve got a couple of other animal encounters that we hope to launch later this summer with larger animals.”

Aldabras are the second-largest tortoise species in the world and can weigh up to 700 pounds when fully grown. The zoo’s specimens weigh between 250 and 300 pounds.

On top of learning about the species and the zoo’s conservation efforts, visitors on a Tortoise Encounter will get to know a little bit more about Speed, Washington and Missy.

Missy, who came to Sedgwick County in the early 1970s, was one of the first exotic animals the zoo purchased. Washington and Speed came from the Topeka Zoo in the 90s.

Zookeeper Jodie Hearlson has been the tortoises’ main handler for seven years, and she knows their quirks and personalities well. She said Speed, the zoo’s lone male, is the friendliest of the three.

“We like to joke that Speed was probably a dog in his past life, because he loves attention,” Hearlson said.

He enjoys neck rubs, she said, but make sure you feed him first.

“As soon as you start rubbing his neck and stuff, he just stands still,” Hearlson said. “He’s like a statue and he stands still for hours and you can try to feed him and he won’t eat.”

The tortoises are slow, deliberate eaters, and King said visitors can hand-feed them carrot sticks without fear of being bitten.

Tortoise Encounters will be held every Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. until September, when the tortoises are moved to their indoor exhibit. Tickets must be purchased no later than noon on the day of an encounter, and guests can do so online or at the zoo’s membership office.

King said encounters last roughly 30 minutes, and visitors can interact with the tortoises as much or as little as they want.

If you go

What: Feed, pet, and pose with the Aldabra tortoises

When: 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through September

Where: Sedgwick County Zoo

Cost: $35 for members, $40 for non-members

This story was originally published June 6, 2019 at 11:40 AM.