We hired the scooter for the week.

After a morning of rain, lunch time saw the skies clearing and we headed for the Francois Leguat Tortoise Park.

Once rife with tortoises do thick that one often had to jump from the back of tortoise to another in order to make any progress forward, these incredible creatures and many others – including a large cousin to the Dodo – were hunted to extinction.

Commencing with an initiative by Gerald Durrell (remember the tv series ‘All Creatures Great and Small’? This was that vet.) over the past decades the Rodiguans have been working hard at saving the few remaining species still surviving.

At this park, tortoises from Mauritius and creatures such as the Rodriguan Fruit Bat  are being bred.

Wall mosaics led us in.

Whilst waiting for our tour, Bob and I meandered through the well designed museum.

The incubation chambers enabled us to see the babies.

Endangered bats were being bred.

Into the enclosure we went. Walking amongst these ancient creatures, the eldest in excess of 80 years old, it was a wow factor!!

Set within an enclosed valley, the tortoises were safely living out their lives.

Sharing.

Dozing.

Meandering.

Drinking.

Wallowing.

Greenery.

Caves

with fossils

Overall, another memorable experience.