Authorities at Chattogram Zoo announced today that five yellow hill tortoises, a critically endangered species, have hatched under its conservation breeding programme.

Although the hatchlings were born on June 6, officials formally confirmed the development this morning.

Dr Shahadat Hossain Shuvo, acting curator of the zoo, said a female tortoise laid seven eggs, of which five successfully hatched after about 120 days, while two did not survive.

The yellow hill tortoise is listed as Critically Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.

The zoo had previously recorded five hatchlings in 2023 and 2025. With the latest births, a total of 10 tortoises have hatched under the programme, eight of which are still alive. As a result, the number of yellow hill tortoises at the zoo has doubled from eight to 16 over the past four years.

“This is one of the most important examples of successful conservation breeding of the elongated tortoise in Bangladesh,” Shuvo said.

He added that the achievement could support future conservation efforts, including soft-release monitoring and possible reintroduction programmes.