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July 10th, 2013 
A forklift was used to lift a 120kg Galapagos tortoise onto a set of scales to be weighed in Sydney.
Source: AAP
THERE aren’t many patients that take a forklift, a ute and four men to get them onto the scales.
But that’s what was needed for Dippy, a 45-year-old Galapagos tortoise who tipped the scales at 120kg.
A local pet food manufacturer provided the Australian Reptile Park with an industrial-sized set of scales, but it took a massive operation get him on them, said senior curator Liz Bella.
“We got him into his big purpose-made box and down onto the ute,” she said.
A forklift carried him off the ute before staff coaxed him onto the scales with his favourite food, sweet potato.
“They love anything high-carbs and high in sugar, so sweet potato is perfect,” Ms Bella told AAP.
Dippy, who got his name from a birth defect that left a “dip” in his shell, was bred in captivity in the US before being moved to Adelaide Zoo and finally the Australian Reptile Park near Sydney.
It was the first time Dippy had ever been weighed and Ms Bella said it would be a benchmark for Dippy’s health for many years to come.
Dippy is 17 years younger and 45kg lighter than his companion Hugo, though the two males have to be kept apart.
Galapagos tortoises, which can live up to 180 years, are listed as “vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list.
The two are on an international file that tries to match breeding pairs.
“Females are hard to come by and have to be imported from overseas, but the park is always on the lookout for breeding opportunities,” Ms Bella said.
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