By: Kayla Good, Senior
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Courtesy of Dailykos.com
On the Galapagos Islands a giant tortoise has been noticed for saving his species from extinction. According to Youtube, Diego, a 100-year-old tortoise, is responsible for the fertilization of 800 offspring and for being a part of the rescue of giant tortoise in the Galapagos Islands. Currently, Diego is no longer in his original habitat, however, he will return in March at Espanola Island where he was extracted from more than eight decades ago.
Diego is a part of the Chelonoidis hoodensis species that reside on the Galapagos Island of Espanola, and was brought to the U.S. between 1928 and 1933. He was later placed into the Charles Darwin Research Station for protection and safety after the species were declared to be “critically endangered in the 1960s” according to the San Diego Zoo.
These types of giant tortoises went from a critical state of 15 species- including Diego- to 2,000 species, thanks to the Giant Turtle Restoration program for the Galapagos Islands. One of the major causes for the species’ disappearance was because they were being captured by pirates who used to fish them as food for their crew. A “pirate” is someone that hunts down and kills tortoise for different purposes, such as eating. Turtling is another term for hunting turtles and tortoises and has been a part of the American culture and other cultures around the world for many years. Some countries, such as China, consume tortoises and turtles as well.
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