What unique feature does the Turtle Back Zoo offer?

The Turtle Back Zoo in New Jersey offers visitors a rare opportunity to observe the veterinary care of its animals, including a recent checkup on a sulcata tortoise.

How does the Turtle Back Zoo's transparency aim to benefit visitors?

The zoo director hopes that allowing visitors to witness veterinary care will help them better relate to the animals and get more involved in conservation efforts.

What prompted the Turtle Back Zoo to invest in a new $17 million veterinary hospital?

The zoo needed a bigger, updated facility to care for its growing collection of approximately 150 species, and the new hospital includes a publicly visible treatment room.

Home / Lifestyle / Suburban Zoo Transforms into Transparent Animal Care Destination

Suburban Zoo Transforms into Transparent Animal Care Destination

17 Nov

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Summary

Turtle Back Zoo in New Jersey offers public view of veterinary care
Sulcata tortoise undergoes checkup, including measurements, X-rays, and blood draw
Zoo director hopes viewing vet care will help visitors relate to animals and support conservation

Suburban Zoo Transforms into Transparent Animal Care Destination

In November 2025, the Turtle Back Zoo in New Jersey has become one of the few zoos in the United States to offer the public a window into the veterinary care of its animals. Recently, visitors gathered around the zoo's new, publicly visible treatment room to observe a young sulcata tortoise, an endangered species, undergo a routine checkup.

Over the course of half an hour, the spectators watched as the tortoise was measured, X-rayed, had blood drawn, and was microchipped. The zoo's veterinarian, Dr. Kailey Anderson, used a Doppler machine to listen to the reptile's heart, though the process was not without its challenges as the tortoise resisted the procedure.