Giant tortoises return to galápagos island after nearly two centuries of extinction

After 180 years of absence, giant tortoises are once again roaming Floreana Island in the Galápagos, marking a remarkable conservation victory that has been over a decade in the making. The original Floreana giant tortoise species went extinct in the 1840s when early settlers hunted them relentlessly and dramatically altered the island’s landscape.

The breakthrough came when researchers working on Wolf Volcano, located on Isabela Island about 112 miles away, noticed something extraordinary. The tortoises there looked and behaved differently from typical populations. DNA testing revealed these tortoises carried strong genetic traces of the extinct Floreana species, suggesting some had survived by floating on ocean currents or being transported by whaling ships that historically kept tortoises as food supplies.

Scientists with the Galápagos Conservancy and Island Conservation launched an ambitious breeding program using these genetically valuable Wolf Volcano tortoises. On February 20, they successfully released 156 young tortoises, each between 10 and 13 years old, back onto Floreana Island with support from local communities and conservation partners.

While the project represents a major milestone, patience will be essential for long-term success. These juvenile tortoises won’t reach sexual maturity until around 25 years old, meaning it will take decades to establish a truly self-sustaining population. However, conservationists remain optimistic that this hybrid population will eventually restore the ecological balance that Floreana Island lost nearly two centuries ago, demonstrating how innovative genetic research can help reverse even seemingly permanent extinctions.