Chris Leone

Chris Leone of Garden State Tortoise in New Jersey said Rockalina's meeting with the hatchling was a milestone.

It was the first time she's interacted with her own kind so closely since she was taken from the wild in the 1970s.

Over the weekend, he posted a video on YouTube of the encounter.

When Leone first saw Rockalina back in February, she was wan and looked near death.

Now she's thriving.

The hatchling and Rockalina will continue to have supervised meetings as Leone works toward the ultimate goal, creating a little turtle colony for Rockalina.

Alina Hartunian, NPR News.