6 The Worst News

Chapter 6 THE WORST NEWS The group followed Jack and Annie into the fenced yard. "We'll visit the hatchery first," said Jack. He led everyone to a row of wooden trays covered with screens. Annie removed one of the screens. "OH, WOW!" she said. "Annie," said Jack. "Sorry," she whispered. She lowered her voice. "Everyone, please step closer and have a good look." The tourists moved forward. They murmured with excitement. The tray was filled with eggs the size of tennis balls. Tiny tortoises crawled among some of the eggs. Jack picked up an egg. "Park Service workers collect tortoise eggs in the wild," he said. "They bring them here to keep them safe."

Annie lifted a tiny tortoise from the tray. She set it in the palm of her hand. "A newly hatched giant," she said. "Aww! I could die!" said the red-haired woman. "Me too," said Annie. "This tiny baby is only three inches long and weighs only a few ounces. But get this—it will grow to be a thousand times bigger! As an adult, it could easily weigh more than five hundred pounds!" The group gasped. "Some baby!" laughed an old man. "I know. It's a miracle, isn't it?" said Annie. The tiny tortoise stretched out its neck and turned its head.

"It looks positively ancient," said the red-haired woman. "In a way, it is," said Jack. "Giant tortoises have lived on the Galápagos for two or three million years." "Good luck, sweetie!" Annie said softly to the tiny tortoise. "Have a nice life." And she carefully returned the hatchling to the tray. "So when that hatchling is older, it will be moved over here," said Jack. He led the group to an open pen. The tourists gasped with wonder. Hundreds of small tortoises were crawling around in grass and dirt. Some were munching green stalks. Others were climbing rocks or soaking in pools of water. The tourists whispered and smiled. "Do they have any brains?" the old man asked. "You mean are they smart?" said Annie. "Yes, they are," answered Jack. "Tortoises are super-smart. They have a different kind of brainpower than we have. But they know exactly how to live their lives."

"And those lives are really long," said Annie. "Tortoises can live for more than one hundred fifty years." "Whoa!" said the old man with a laugh. "What's their secret?" "Another excellent question," said Annie. "Besides having a shell that protects them, their secret is living a quiet, peaceful life. They never hurry. They spend their days resting in the sunlight, eating plants, and soaking in puddles." "Sounds good to me!" the old man roared. "I heard tortoises are deaf," the red-haired woman said. "That's not exactly true," said Jack. "They don't hear well, but they can feel vibrations." "How do you know if one is male or female?" asked the woman in the sun hat. "When it's fully grown, you can tell by its belly," said Jack. "If the belly curves inward, it's a male. Now, Annie, why don't you tell our friends about releasing the tortoises into the wild?" "When the tortoises are about five years old, they are ready to live on their own," said Annie. "At that age, they're about the size of a melon."

"What kind of melon?" the old man asked. "Hmm… maybe a honeydew?" said Annie. Suddenly the door to the center opened. Carmen stepped into the yard. "Jack, Annie!" she called. "May I have a quick word?" "Excuse us," Jack said to the group. He and Annie rushed over to Carmen. "The Park Service needs your help right away," Carmen said in a hushed voice. "What is it?" said Jack. "Special Forces will explain," said Carmen. "They're waiting outside the front door. You go. I'll take care of the visitors." Carmen hurried to the tortoise pen, and Jack and Annie slipped back into the building. As they headed to the lobby, Jack's heart was pounding. "Special Forces? This must be the emergency Carmen was talking about," he said. "I wonder what is going on!" "I don't know," said Annie. "But it can't be good." When they went out the front door of the center, Jack and Annie saw two strong-looking men standing near a white pickup truck. Their backs were toward

Jack and Annie. They were dressed in green military uniforms. "Point to your badge," Annie said to Jack. "Right," said Jack. Pointing to their World Turtle Expert badges, Jack and Annie headed over to the soldiers. "Excuse us, gentlemen," said Annie. Both soldiers turned around. When they saw the badges, they both saluted Jack and Annie. "Very glad you're here, Jack and Annie. I'm Captain Cruz," said one of the men. "Captain Pinto," said the other. "Ecuadorian Special Forces." "What's up, Captain?" Jack asked calmly.