Fingers are crossed for a brood of up to 30 rare tortoises at a wildlife park.
Last year the Cotswold Wildlife Park, Burford, incubated a clutch of 40 Asian brown tortoise eggs laid by a pair of adult tortoises. A total of 33 hatched and survived.
This year, the adults have produced another clutch and so far four have emerged with another nine of the way.
"I am hopeful about the rest of the eggs as well, which could bring the total to 30 hatchlings," said head reptile keeper Glyn Evans. "I don't know of any other zoological collection or private specialist breeder who has bred this unusual species in such large numbers."
The tortoises are becoming increasingly rare and are classed as an endangered species.
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