Wednesday 18 March 2015

Galapagos tortoises are back

The Week notes - For the first time in more than a century, newborn giant tortoises have been identified on the Galápagos Island of Pinzón. The island’s saddleback tortoises were all but wiped out by the black rats that arrived on ships in the 19th century. Fifty years ago, conservationists began trying to bring them back by – among other things – eradicating the rats. Now, those efforts are paying off: ten hatchlings were found late last year, indicating that tortoises are breeding in the wild again.

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