A Cupulatta

Welcome to A Cupulatta, a name derived from the Corsican word for tortoise. As we stand here at the gateway of the Gravona Valley, just a short distance from the bustling capital of Ajaccio, we are entering a unique sanctuary…

We begin our exploration with the Testudo hermanni, or Hermann’s tortoise, a species that holds a particular significance in the Mediterranean and especially here in Corsica. This species is the only land tortoise native to the…

As we transition to the nursery area, we encounter perhaps the most delicate and critical phase of the center’s operations. Behind these glass partitions and within these specialized incubators, the future of many endangered…

We now come to one of the most awe-inspiring sections of A Cupulatta: the enclosures for the giant tortoises of the Seychelles and the Galapagos Islands. Standing before these massive creatures, one cannot help but feel a sense…

Shifting our focus from the terrestrial to the aquatic, we arrive at the ponds and tanks that house the center’s diverse collection of turtles. While land-dwelling tortoises are often the stars, the world of aquatic and…

As we move into one of the sunnier, more open sections of the park, we encounter the Centrochelys sulcata, commonly known as the African spurred tortoise or Sulcata. This is the third-largest species of tortoise in the world and…

Our final specialized stop brings us to the conceptual heart of A Cupulatta: the areas dedicated to scientific research and international conservation collaboration. While the public pathways allow us to see the animals, much of…

As we return to our starting point, completing our circuit through the diverse world of A Cupulatta, I invite you to take a moment for quiet reflection. We have traveled, in a sense, across continents and through millions of…