Wonderful news! Ten baby tortoises have been spotted on the Galapagos, in Ecuador. Researchers on the Galapagos Island of Pinzón discovered baby tortoise hatchlings born on the island for first time in more than a century.

The tortoise team found evidence of new babies showing promise for the critically endangered animals. The team estimates only 500 or so live on Pinzón. Dr. James Gibbs, Environmental researcher for the tortoise population survey, said “The team found many young hatchlings, a truly exciting find as they are the first hatchlings to survive on Pinzón in more than a century. Once black rats were introduced to Pinzón in the late 1800s, they preyed on 100 percent of tortoise hatchlings.”

Tortoise’s were hunted as food by pirates, whalers, and merchantmen during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. During that time, the black rat was introduced and is currently among the most serious threats to Galapagos biodiversity.

This might not seem like such a big deal–after all, aren’t the Galapagos famous for their tortoises? But in this case, it’s been more than 100 years since the last baby tortoise was seen on Pinzón.

Sadly, it was human activity that brought these cute animals to the brink of extinction. Sailors first arrived on Pinzón Island in the mid-18th century, bringing with them on their boats numerous rats that quickly gained a foothold in the fragile ecosystem, feasting on the eggs and hatchlings of the island’s tortoises who, up until then, had few natural predators.

Fortunately the Pinzón story has a happier ending, as humans have stepped in to save the tortoises of the Galapagos from the brink of extinction.

In 1959, a systematic review of the status of the tortoise populations began. Only 11 of the 14 original populations remained and most of these were endangered if not already on the brink of extinction. The rearing program for giant tortoises began in response to the conditions of the tortoise population on Pinzón Island, where fewer than 200 old adults were found.

Conservationists launched a concerted effort to preserve the species. The few unhatched eggs that could be found were carefully collected and incubated on another island, where they were hatched and raised for five years before being released back on Pinzón.

Even at this stage, there still remained the problem of rodents eating any eggs that were on the island. But in 2012, biologists used helicopters to distribute poison designed to attract only rats. It was a first-of-its-kind operation, but it worked; Pinzón was recently declared rat-free.

“The incredible eradication of rats on this island, done by the park service and others, has created the opportunity for the tortoises to breed for the first time,” says researcher James Gibbs.

 

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