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The goal of “Project Pinta,” as it is called, is the eventual reintroduction of Pinta Island tortoises there. The reintroduction of Giant Tortoises on Pinta is a temporary solution. The decision was made to sterilize these tortoises and then release them on Pinta.

These tortoises are now kept on Santa Cruz and Floreana. Since 1976, no one has been permitted to cross-breed the tortoises, but by then there were many such hybrids (and they live a LONG time!). There is a large population of captive hybrid tortoises in the islands, which came from different sources.įor example, longtime Floreana resident Margret Wittmer collected tortoises from different islands and kept them all together.Īs a result, many hybrid tortoises were hatched. And what better choice than Galapagos Giant Tortoises? Sterilized Hybridsīut which tortoises to choose? That question was easy for researchers. A large herbivore was needed to restore the balance of the ecosystem. Park rangers finally managed to eradicate the goats on Pinta (and several other Galapagos Islands as well) only to find that the plants were taking over. But the goats did one thing right: they controlled the plant growth on the island. These goats were a great nuisance and contributed to the decline of the Pinta Island Giant Tortoise in the first place. For years, Pinta was home to a thriving population of feral goats. The return of the tortoises isn’t simply a feel-good story about redemption.

To date, no girlfriend for George has been found.īut George would be happy to know that there are tortoises once again on his old island home! This past June, 39 Giant Tortoises were released back onto Pinta Island, making them the first ones there since George was taken from his home 40 years ago. He was taken to the Charles Darwin Research Station, where he has remained while scientists searched on Pinta Island, in the rest of the Galapagos and in zoos around the world for a mate. His race was thought to be extinct until he was seen in late 1971 by some passing visitors.

Everyone knows the sad story of Lonesome George, last of the Pinta Island Giant Galapagos Tortoises.