Tortoises’ Thailand trip |11 May 2006

During his last meeting with President James Michel, Ambassador Akrasid Amatayakul requested that a pair of giant tortoises be sent to a Thai zoo as a symbol of friendship between the two countries.

After transfers in Singapore and the Thai capital Bangkok, the two tortoises were handed over to staff at the Chiang-Mai Night Safari Park in northern Thailand. It was Mrs Jeanine Chung-Faye who handed over the tortoises on behalf of her husband, the Thai Consul to Seychelles, Joe Chung-Faye, who was also present.

Mr Chung-Faye said that tortoises are prized as a symbol of longevity in Thailand, where the safari park staff and large crowd which gathered to see the tortoises’ crate opened had been, “over the moon,” with the new arrivals.

The tortoises, which came from Mahe, will form part of the education-orientated attractions at the Chiang-Mai park.