We took an afternoon trip out to “prison island” (Changuu island) during our visit in Zanzibar. It’s called prison island because in the late 1800s this is where slaves were dropped to quarantine before being shipped elsewhere.
But the cool thing about this little island is the population of Aldabra tortoises! These are the second largest land tortoise in the world, after the Galapagos tortoise. The first 4 tortoises were a gift from the British governor of Seychelles in 1919. Since then populations have fluctuated but the numbers are now at over 100 on this one small island.
I hesistated to share these photos because while it was a cool experience, there is definitely room for improvement on the overall conditons of this “sanctuary” and the funds received. That being said, hopefully our feedback to them will allow for growth on their part...and these guys really did enjoy their “neck massages”. Bonus: check out how these tortoises get it on 😏
