A four-year-old boy has adopted a female Al-Dabra Giant Tortoise at the Nehru Zoological Park (NZP), Hyderabad for a period of one year.

The Al-Dabra Giant Tortoise is endemic to the Indian Ocean island nation of Seychelles.

The NZP, Hyderabad, houses a pair of the giant tortoises (one male and one female), which were a gift from the President of Seychelles to his Indian counterpart in 2018. The NZP was selected for housing these tortoises as it has the best habitat and open moated enclosures. Akshay Chakraborty, along with his parents, had visited the NZP and offered to adopt a female giant tortoise for one year. They paid Rs 30,000 towards the adoption charges.

NZP Curator N Kshitija thanked Akshay and his parents for adopting the animal. She also urged all the citizens and corporates to come forward and join hands with the zoo in conservation and breeding of wild animals.