5 Time for Tortoises

Chapter 5 TIME FOR TORTOISES Jack wanted to ask Carmen about the emergency. But the tourists immediately started asking questions. "Excuse me, do we have to pay?" "Do you have a bathroom here?" "We brought boxed lunches—where can we eat at lunchtime?" "I'll answer all your questions in a minute," Carmen assured them. "But first, I need to speak to our special guests." She turned back to Jack and Annie. "As I was saying, our director isn't here because of a crisis. I want to show you around the center. But I need to make some calls first." "Carmen, don't worry about us," Annie said firmly. "How can we help you?" "Goodness, you're so kind. Could you"—Carmen looked at the noisy tourists—"could you give them

information about the center and the tortoises, please?" "Of course," said Annie. "We can handle that." "No problem," said Jack. "Oh, thank you!" said Carmen. She pointed to the map on the wall. "That shows you the layout of our center. Perhaps you can lead them around while I deal with this crisis." "Could you tell us about the crisis?" Jack asked, trying to sound like an expert. "Yes," said Carmen. "The Park Service called about more endangered turtles and—"

"Miss! Miss!" a man interrupted Carmen. "Can you just tell all of us how to find the tortoises?" "No, I can't tell you—I need to show you," said Carmen, sounding upset. "Sorry." She seemed flustered. "Jack, Annie, could you please—" "Go ahead, Carmen. We got this," said Annie. "Make your calls," said Jack. "Oh, you're lifesavers! Thank you!" said Carmen. And she slipped into a back room. "I'll look at the map," Jack said to Annie. "You get their attention." He hurried over to the map on the wall. "Greetings, friends!" Annie called out. No one seemed to hear her. Noise from the chattering tourists filled the lobby. "GREETINGS, FRIENDS!" Jack shouted. He pointed at his badge for all to see. The tourists looked startled. A couple of them loudly shushed the others. "SHHH! SHHH!" "Thank you," said Annie. "And welcome to the Giant Tortoise Center. I'm Annie—and that's my brother, Jack." She pointed at Jack, studying the map. "We are your World Turtle Experts today." People spoke softly to each other:

"World Turtle Experts?" "That's a big deal." "I'm so impressed." Jack returned to Annie's side. "First, there are some rules to follow," he said to the group. "Rule number one: Please do not talk or laugh loudly. Our tortoise friends prefer peaceful surroundings." "Rule two: Please do not touch any tortoises," said Annie. "And rule three: Please don't take photos of them. This is their home and we are their guests." Everyone nodded meekly. "Thank you for your cooperation," said Jack. "Okay! Now follow us." Jack and Annie led the tourists out of the lobby and down a hall. They stopped in front of a closed door. "Let's pause for a moment," Jack said. "We're about to enter an area with many giant tortoises." The group murmured with excitement. "But none of these tortoises are really giant… yet," said Annie. "You are about to meet many tiny turtle babies and little turtle kids." "Hatchlings," said Jack. "The name for a baby turtle is hatchling."

"Hold on there," said a large bald man. "You say tortoises one moment and turtles the next. Which are they?" "Excellent question," said Jack. "Yes, we World Turtle Experts get that question a lot," said Annie. "All tortoises are turtles," said Jack. "But not all turtles are tortoises. The giant tortoises of the Galápagos are the largest members of the turtle family."

"Think of them as the kings and queens of the turtle world!" said Annie. "Oh! I love giant tortoises!" said a woman in a sun hat. "Me too!" said Annie. "And the Galápagos Islands need them," said Jack. "Tortoises are vital to the ecosystem here and—" "Can you explain that?" interrupted the large man. "Sure. An ecosystem is a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment," Jack explained. No one said anything. They all looked confused. Annie stepped in. "Jack means that everything on this island is connected. Tortoises, trees, other plants, insects—all work together. If you destroy one of them, you harm the others. Understand?" The tourists nodded with serious looks. "A few hundred years ago, pirates and whale hunters visited these islands," said Jack. "They killed hundreds of thousands of giant tortoises for food." "Oh, no! I hate that," said a woman with curly red hair.