TUCSON, Ariz. -- Jalopy, an 80-year-old tortoise from the Staten Island, N.Y., Zoo, will be sent home next Wednesday after completing cancer therapy.
Ruth Iliff, spokeswoman for the University of Arizona Cancer Center, said the Galapagos tortoise took radiation treatments very well, is energetic and has a good appetite.
The tortoise was sent to Tucson's Reid Park Zoo in late June for treatment of a potentially-fatal, recurring tumor in its left armpit. Jalopy received treatment on an outpatient basis and was under the care of Dr. Mark Dewhirst, a veterinary cancer specialist.
Mrs. Iliff said 'healthy tissue' now is growing where the tumor had been but she said it's too early to tell if recovery is complete.
The tortoise, native to the Galapagos Islands west of Ecuador, will be sent back to Staten Island Zoo by airliner and will be shipped 'in a box,' she said.
