Hibernating tortoises wake up months after surviving Eaton Fire
The two hibernating tortoises were the only Eaton Canyon Nature Center animals to survive the fire in early January.
By Rina Nakano
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LOS ANGELES (KCAL) — In early January, the Eaton Fire destroyed the Eaton Canyon Nature Center and nearly all its beloved animals. Luckily, two slumbering desert tortoises survived thanks to the help of a longtime animal lover.
Kenia Estrella has been working with animals since she was 17 years old.
“I started with Los Angeles County as a youth worker in the summer of 2013,” she said.
For the last 11 years, she climbed the Eaton Canyon Nature Center ranks, eventually becoming a supervisor.
“We mostly had amphibians, reptiles and some insects,” Estrella said.
However, all of the animals are now gone. When the Eaton Fire destroyed the center and its trails, it also killed 25 of the facility’s animal ambassadors, sparing only the tortoises.
Clyde is a roughly 60-year-old male desert tortoise who is a bit of a showoff and likes an audience. Clementine is an 80-year-old female who prefers to keep to herself. Every year, Clyde and Clementine spend their deep sleep months in a noise and temperature-controlled room in a docent naturalist’s home. However, when the volunteer had to evacuate during the Eaton Fire the pair had nowhere to go.
“She definitely didn’t have the capacity to haul around two tortoises and deal with the fire situation,” Estrella said. “So, I was asked to watch them.”
Despite being five months pregnant at the time, Estrella happily took them in.
“I think it was late March. My husband went into the garage, and he said, ‘I hear them moving!'” she recalled.
Since waking up, both tortoises have had their veterinarian checks, and now split their time between Estrella’s home and the San Dimas Nature Center.
Estralla said the arrival of two senior tortoises into her home has been a bit of a practice run for her baby’s arrival.
“It’s really nice to be trusted with them and be able to care for them, with the hopes of them and myself returning to Eaton Canyon,” she said.
She hopes visitors, including her child, will see the beloved tortoises as a symbol of survival and resilience when the Eaton Canyon Nature Center reopens one day.
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