East to Africa: Giant and Ancient Reptiles

This morning was our last morning in Zanzibar and we spent it on Prison Island. It was formerly a prison and the ruins are still there, but it is also a sanctuary for Aldabra Giant Tortoises. They are considered endangered and there are very few of them left in the wild - Changuu Island (Prison Island) being one of these places. Originally these tortoises were given as a gift be the Seycheles government to the British resident mayor in exchange for tropical plants from Zanzibar. Initially there were 4 tortoises but they turned into 50 tortoises. Living on the main land they were being killed or stolen because they are so rare, so they were moved to Prison Island in the 1920s and the sanctuary was established.

On to the fun stuff - I totally got to pet their heads and feed them cabbage :D. Their shells feel like wood and some of them are the size of people if not larger. There was a caged in part with really young ones that looked like they were only a few years old and then there was a cage with BABIES. They're all so funny when they walk because their feet are turned in towards them and their necks can stretch out really long. It was amazing to see and awesome to actually get to touch them. It was a completely unique experience to Zanzibar and I loved every minute of it.