158 Giant Tortoises Return to Galápagos Island After Almost 200 Years

For the first time in almost 200 years, giant tortoises are walking the hills of Floreana Island again. In what conservationists are calling one of the most ambitious ecosystem recovery efforts ever undertaken in the Galápagos, 158 juvenile Floreana giant tortoises have been released onto the island where their ancestors once thrived — before whalers and invasive species wiped them out in the mid-1800s. The Floreana giant tortoise (Chelonoidis niger niger) was presumed lost forever. That changed in 2000, when ecologists discovered hybrid tortoises carrying Floreana ancestry on neighbouring Isabela Island — likely descendants of individuals transported there by whalers centuries ago. That discovery sparked a meticulous 'back-breeding' programme, launched in 2017, which carefully selected tortoises most closely related to the original Floreana subspecies. The 158 juveniles released this month are between 8 and 13 years old, carrying 40 to 80 percent of the original species' genetic makeup — robust enough to survive in the wild. But this isn't just about bringing back a charismatic species. Giant tortoises are 'ecosystem engineers.' Through grazing, trampling, and dispersing seeds across vast distances, they shape vegetation, maintain open habitats, and support natural regeneration that benefits birds, insects, geckos, and native plants. 'Giant tortoises are a critical part of this ecosystem,' said Rakan Zahawi, executive director of the Charles Darwin Foundation. 'By dispersing seeds, shaping vegetation, creating microhabitats, and influencing how landscapes regenerate, they help rebuild ecological processes that many other species depend on.' The release is the first step in a broader plan to restore Floreana's entire ecosystem. Before the tortoises arrived, the island underwent an intensive invasive species eradication programme starting in 2023, removing feral rats and cats that had devastated native wildlife for generations. Next on the list: reintroducing the Floreana mockingbird, the Floreana racer snake, and several endemic finch species — all of which disappeared from the island due to invasive predators. It's a story that spans centuries — from exploitation and extinction, through an improbable genetic discovery, to a painstaking breeding programme and now, finally, a homecoming. The tortoises are slow, but their return has been worth the wait. 🐢