Giant tortoises return to Galápagos island after nearly 200 years

One hundred and fifty eight captive-bred juvenile tortoises were released on the Galápagos island of Floreana.

Floreana giant tortoise reintroduced to Galápagos island after almost 200 years

Subspecies driven to extinction by hungry whalers returns after ‘back breeding’ programme using partial descendants Giant tortoises, the life-giving engineers of remote small island ecosystems, are plodding over the Galápagos island of Floreana for the first time in more than 180 years. The Floreana giant tortoise (Chelonoidis niger niger), a subspecies of the giant tortoise once found across the Galápagos, was driven to extinction in the 1840s by whalers who removed thousands from the volcanic island to provide a living larder during their hunting voyages. Continue reading...

By Patrick Barkham

Giant tortoises return to Galapagos island after 150 years

More than 150 giant tortoises have been reintroduced to Ecuador’s Floreana Island in the Galapagos.

Giant tortoises make a comeback on Galapagos island

More than 150 giant tortoises have been reintroduced to Floreana Island in Ecuador's famed Galapagos archipelago where they disappeared more than a century ago, the environment ministry said Friday.  Floreana was once home to some 20,000 giant tortoises, but whaling, a devastating fire, and relentless human exploitation eventually led to their extinction on the island.

By FRANCE 24