A casualty of the Eaton fire was the destruction of the Eaton Canyon Nature Center in Pasadena, which lost 15 animals who died in their enclosures.
These “animal ambassadors,” known for evoking smiles or perplexed looks on kids’ faces, are all gone. That is, except for the two most popular animals at the center that survived the fire: A pair of aging, slow-moving, desert tortoises named Clyde and Clementine.
You might say they slept through it.
Every winter, the two tortoises are taken to the residence of a volunteer in separate cardboard boxes to hibernate in a cool, dark space.
A few weeks before the Jan. 7 fire, Clyde and Clementine were individually snuggled up in sleeping boxes with torn newspaper for a four-month hibernation period, away from the glare and hubbub of the popular natural park and its 7,600-square-foot facility.
The species’ natural process and their quiet winter getaway saved their lives.
“Everyone is really glad they survived. It’s like keeping a little piece of Eaton Canyon,” said Kenia Estrella, 29, a recreation services supervisor for L.A. County’s Department of Parks and Recreation, who worked at the Eaton Canyon Natural Area and Nature Center for 15 years, until transferring to San Dimas Canyon Park in late November to work with rescued raptors.
On Friday, March 28, Estrella took Clyde out of his box for a post hibernation wake-up on her front lawn. A few days prior, she heard stirring coming from the garage of her home where the two were hibernating in separate boxes, and she knew the warmer weather and longer sunlight hours meant hibernation time was over.
Clyde, who is between 60 and 70 years old, is an active senior citizen tortoise.
He moved at a steady pace through her lawn, stopping to munch on dandelion flowers. She surmised he was hungry. “They eat wildflowers in the desert,” she noted.
Clementine, between 75 and 85 years old, moves rather slowly. She spent her first post-hibernation hours looking around, not moving much.
During spring and summer, the two would be set to roam in wider enclosures on the Nature Center patio. Moms, dads and children would gather around to watch them move about. Clementine often hid behind a ceramic pot, while Clyde would put on a show, Estrella said.
“Clyde is a people tortoise,” she said. “He loved the crowds at Eaton Canyon. People would come to visit him,” she said. “She (Clementine) was not about the crowds. She was more like: ‘I like my peace and quiet.”
They were the most popular animal ambassadors at the Nature Center, she said. The staff would look forward to feeding them each day. “It looked like a gorgeous salad from a restaurant,” explained Richard Smart, regional park superintendent for the county parks department. “They would get kale, Bok choy, romaine lettuce and sometimes we would cut up grapes for them.”
When Smart heard all his staff had gotten out safely, he got an email from Clyde and Clementine’s original sitters. They lived in the fire zone and had evacuated their home — with the two tortoises in tow. The animal evacuees then were placed in Estrella’s care at her home in Azusa.
She was a good choice since she knew the pair’s routine. “I practically grew up at Eaton Canyon. I started working there in 2013 when I was 17,” said Estrella, who is a graduate of John Muir High School.
Clyde arrived in May 2011. He was abandoned in an unincorporated part of LA County, said Smart. The older Clementine began her career at the center in 1999 after a park patron found her abandoned in Altadena.
Since November 2024, they were kept in separate boxes with shredded newspaper in a dark, cool space in Estrella’s garage. “There’s no feeding. No water. They might turn around in their box, kind of like you tossing in bed,” she remarked.
As she took delight in seeing the two tortoises move freely in the outdoor sunlight for the first time in four months, she kept close watch on their behavior. She also talked about the animal ambassadors that had died in the fire, beloved by visitors and an important part of the nature talks led by staff.
These were primarily snakes, lizards, beetles and spiders, Smart said. Some of the snakes were 15 to 20 years old and many staffers grew attached to them.
“Dino The Alligator Lizard. He was my favorite. He also was very well loved at Eaton Canyon Nature Center,” said Estrella, who kept a photo of Dino on her phone.
She also was mourning the loss of “99” the gopher snake, who arrived at the Nature Center in 2009. The unofficial origin story was that he was found at a 99 Cents Only store, she said.
The two will be given a checkup by the center’s veterinarian. Most likely, Clementine will need a shot of antibiotics to clear up a respiratory infection, Estrella said.
By next Friday, she will take them to their new home, the Placerita Canyon State Park near the city of Santa Clarita. The park is managed by LA County, Smart said. Some estimate a new Eaton Canyon Nature Center could be rebuilt in four years.
“Placerita Canyon has the capacity, the space and the enclosures. They can take good care of these two tortoises,” Smart said.
“All of our nature centers have animal ambassadors. But these were very well-loved by the community at Eaton Canyon,” said Estrella. “Though it feels strange to be handing them off to another park, that is the best place for them to go.”