Giant tortoises are back on Floreana in the Galápagos, around 150 years after they were wiped out there, Euronews reports. Park rangers released 158 juveniles aged eight to 13, the first of about 700 due to be returned over time.
The original Floreana tortoise was hunted to extinction in the 1800s, but scientists later found tortoises on Wolf Volcano, on Isabela Island, carrying large amounts of its DNA. A breeding programme on Santa Cruz Island has produced hybrids with between 40% and 80% of the lost species’ genetic makeup. Two centuries ago the island is thought to have held around 20,000 tortoises.
Tortoises are ecosystem engineers, spreading seeds and shaping vegetation as they graze, so their return is expected to help heal Floreana’s landscape as invasive species are tackled. Park officials called reintroducing an animal so close to the original vital for the island’s recovery.
Source: Euronews