A 100-year-old giant tortoise by the name of Diego has retired and finally returned home to the Galapagos Islands after being credited for saving his entire species from near extinction.
Diego the giant tortoise retires
According to a report by news.com.au, Diego has been working for decades to help save his species as part of the program that aims to save these giant tortoises (Chelonoidis hoodensis) and increase their population on Isla Santa Cruz located in the Galapagos Islands.
The giant tortoise, who weighs 80 kilograms, had been in captivity for decades to ensure his safety. And during all those years, he had been breeding with female giant tortoises, as per Reuters.
Park rangers believe Diego has fathered at least 40% of all the tortoises that have been bred through the program, which is around 2000.
Saving the tortoise species from near extinction
According to the news outlet, 50 years ago, there were apparently only two male tortoises left on the native island and only about 12 females. However, they were too spread out to find each other and mate, making it harder to reproduce and bring their numbers up.
During the first half of the 20th century, Diego, who was one of the only males left, was brought to the San Diego Zoo in California after he was removed from his native island of Isla Española.
After being brought to the zoo, the tortoise spent around eight decades breeding with female tortoises, fathering over 800 tortoises. He has been hailed as the most significant contributor in helping save his species from extinction. It is still essential for experts and for the public, however, to care for tortoises as they are still far from being safe.
More tortoises coming back home after years in the program
Besides Diego, the Ecuador environment minister Paulo Proaño Andrade announced that 15 other giant tortoises will retire and return to their native island after their work in the program.
Technically, the Galapagos Islands is under Ecuadorian rule on the west coast of South America, about 100 kilometers from the country. The island was a significant contributor to Charles Darwin's work on his infamous theory of evolution, where he observed the tortoises and their differences and discovered how they adapted to their environment over time.
"We close an important chapter in the management of the Galápagos National Park," Andrade wrote in a post on his official Twitter account announcing the return of the retired creatures. "They return home after decades of breeding in captivity and saving their species from extinction. Your island welcomes you with open arms."
Before returning home, Diego and his fellow retired tortoises underwent a quarantine period to avoid carrying any seeds of plants that are not native to the island and may ruin the existing ecosystem there.
Giant tortoises are best known for their massive size and their long, leathery necks. These creatures can live for more than a hundred years, thus Diego's age.
