The original resident of the Sedgwick County Zoo has been living at other zoos across the country for the last 13 years.
In May, Rocket came back to town and has been on display since June.
His fans are starting to realize that he is back because he is one of the most visible and notable animals in the zoo. The electric train, which started offering rides last month, takes a swing past Rocket's new escape-proof enclosure just before it comes back to the station. The hard-to-miss Rocket napping in the shade in the corner of his yard is likely to be seen by those who ride in the afternoon.
When the zoo opened 50 years ago, Rocket was one of the animals on display. Most of the animals there are fast and some are heavier.
Rocket arrived at the Sedgwick County Zoo at the ripe old age of 40. He was one of the first animals to arrive at the zoo along with Sweetie Pie the Hippo and the elephant.
Rocket became a septuagenarian by the year 2009. He was so large that he was able to climb out of the indoor exhibit at the building. The process of returning him to the exhibit without the aid of heavy machinery was a lengthy one.
The zookeepers thought it would take three to five years for a new building to be built. After spending time with his tortoise friends, Rocket moved to the Tulsa Zoo, where he became a part of the zoo's tortoise herd.
Chris Williams met Rocket when he was at the zoo. He worked at the zoo and became a ward of Rocket.
Williams chuckled when he remembered that Rocket didn't change much when he was here. He was able to escape his enclosure there as well and had to modify its exhibit to keep him there. In a few years, Rocket moved again, this time to the Bronx Zoo in New York, where he became one of the stars of the giant tortoise exhibit.
The zoo decided it was time for Rocket to come home after he was on loan for so long. A new enclosure became available after the zoo didn't get its new building. The zoo's other tortoises are in the reptile building, but Rocket and his two new roommates are in the anteater enclosure. One of the zoo's giant anteaters recently died, and the other would be too disturbed by noises from the new train. The anteater is not on display.
The train doesn't bother the tortoises a lot. Since moving in, they have eaten every leaf in sight in their new exhibit, which has made them too busy to focus on anything else.
Williams doesn't know if Rocket is happy to be here. He is a low key guy who is saving his energy for the future. He could be the only middle aged person. Giant tortoises can live up to 200 years, according to scientists. A 190-year-old giant tortoise named Jonathan is the oldest still alive.
Williams was happy to be back with his old friend.
Williams said that he is a little bit stubborn. He doesn't do what he doesn't want. He went where he wanted to go. He knows he has a lot of weight.
Zoo animals have become celebrities in the area. The most popular are here.
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