Seychelles tortoises...
 

I meant to get these up earlier, but have been so busy!

Anyway, following our 3 week holiday (and wedding and Honeymoon!!) in the Seychelles, I thought I'd share some of the local Aldabras that are roaming around. :)


Now, I say roaming, as it did very much depend on where you are, so we'll start on Mahe, the main and capital island of the Seychelles.
We hired a car to go around the island, and whilst on one of our random 'turn left here' moments we headed up the mountain and came across this pen on the corner of the road.... completely random!
I can't say I was impressed really, there were about 30 or so tortoises in there, and it was probably only maybe 10m2 in total. We started feeding them with some of the greenery we picked from the woods next to it, but then a chap came down the hill, we asked him what they were doing here, and his broken 1-word english said "Tourists". ah man, was really quite sad.

Anyway, they all seemed healthy enough to my untrained eye, but we'd much rather have seen these in the wild.

http://www.jambophoto.co.uk/images/s...rtoise pen.jpg

http://www.jambophoto.co.uk/images/s...oise pen 2.jpg

We moved on from Mahe to "Praslin", which is the next biggest, and marginally more rural island.
This next picture was taken at the "famous" Anse Lazio beach, I say famous, but only because it claims to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world... I think the dozens of tourists there kind of remove some of the beauty from it!!
Anyway, just by the car park, was a small 5m2 pen with half a dozen tortoises in it, these guys looked quite happy, but there was loads of land that they could have opened up for them (I know they don't look at it like perhaps I (we) do!).

http://www.jambophoto.co.uk/images/s...azio pen 2.jpg

One of our trips out was to 'Cousin Island', which is infact a bird sanctuary and research base, but happily enough, any tortoises that were there were roaming wild!, so we'd be walking through the forest and all of a sudden a tortoise would materialise from the bushes, or the mud or just hiding in the shade behind the huts etc Was certainly refreshing to see after all the penned tortoises.

http://www.jambophoto.co.uk/images/s...d tortoise.jpg

We strangely felt like being rather adventurous one day, so jumped on the local bus (life in your own hands!), down to the local jetty, and caught the bus over to "La Digue", another island where the predominant mode of transport is the bike!, So we hired our bikes and set off, the island revolves around the (history of the) coconut oil industry, so in the main park (L'Union) was quite a substantial pen, with loads of branches down for you to feed the tortoises.
I've got loads of pics from here, so I won't post them all! lol, but one of the sights was watching (with morbid curiosity) some tortoise "action" :oops: :mrgreen:

http://www.jambophoto.co.uk/images/s...ise mating.jpg

All the torts were quite friendly though and as soon as you picked up the branches they'd all swarm to the edge to see you :)

http://www.jambophoto.co.uk/images/s...e tortoise.jpg

Now... this was however party to one of my low points of the holiday, moreso out of frustration and anger.
This (sadlly british) chap (and his party of 5 or so people):
http://www.jambophoto.co.uk/images/s...ts/smoking.jpg
Was sat on the wall, with his feet inside the pen, smoking.
Now the whole site is "non-smoking", the tortoise pen (as you could imagine) is full of dry leaf litter.
Well sadly, I couldn't not say anything, I looked for an 'official' to tell but there was no-one, so I had to ask him in a less than diplomatic manner "what the f*** do you think you are doing?", completely oblivious, the response "what?" came back.
"How about you don't smoke, or flick your f***ing ash into the pen, not to mention the fire risk, how would you like to eat ash... f***ing pr!ck."

At which point he said "alright alright mate" and put his cigarette out.

Only for me to turn back to head back to my bike to see his god damned girlfriend climbing into the "keep out of the" pen, to get close ups of the tortoises - which were all up by the wall anyway.
http://www.jambophoto.co.uk/images/s...s/trespass.jpg
Made me ashamed to be associated (by nationality) with these guys. :evil:

Anyway, rant mode off! lol

Our final encounter with the tortoises was without doubt, the best.
Off the top of Praslin island is another 'sanctuary' island called Curieuse Island, where the tortoises roam free all over the island, they've got over 300 "free range" Aldabra giant tortoises :)
So you jump off the boat ontot he beach, and there they are!!
This was by far my favorite island of them all. Incredible place.

http://www.jambophoto.co.uk/images/s...use island.jpg

http://www.jambophoto.co.uk/images/s...h tortoise.jpg

Wow they are amazing tortoises pity about the idiots maybe they could not read the signs. It must have been amazing to see them all. Thanks you for sharing the pictures

Firstly, huge congrats on your wedding. What a beautiful location to marry and honeymoon in. :)
The photos are so interesting. I'd love to visit the tortoises on the last island. How wonderful to see them roaming wild.
Thanks for sharing. :)

Fantastic pics, lovely to see them in there natural/sub natural habitat- congrats on the wedding to

Congrats on your wedding, great pictures :)

Great photos! Must have been quite an experience.

Some beautiful photographs and what a lovely experience to see some of them in the wild. Congrats on your wedding.

Many congrats on your wedding, and what a honeymoon. Fantastic photos, loved the close one of the torts face/expression he actualy looks to be smiling at the camera.
Thanks for sharing them with us
sue

Thanks guys, it ranks up there as one of the best holidays... But I guess I have to say that! :lol:

Seriously though, fantastic place to visit if you ever get the chance.
I can sit here now, look back at the pictures and all my stress goes away :D that is until I read the next 'work' email!