The term one of kind is so tossed around that it has almost lost the significance that it truly should have. Think about it...to be the only one of a particular thing...not just unique or special but the sole representative for your species – pretty impressive.
Today I met Lonesome George, the only remaining Pinta Island Tortoise in the world. George lives at the Charles Darwin Research facility in Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos. Initially discovered by a Hungarian in 1971 and relocated shortly after to the Research Facility, attempts to breed George with other, similar tortoises have proved futile. George’s comrades were sadly all done in by introduced feral goats that destroyed the landscape and food supply of the tortoise. So...when George finally succumbs to old age, he is estimated to be about 100 years old now, the Pinta Island Tortoise will be officially extinct.
Now don’t fret...there are other subspecies of Galapagos tortoises still residing on the islands...but they are all closer to extinct then not. There are 10 of the original 15 subspecies still left in the wild and they can be easily distinguished by their shell shape. My favourite of these are the tortoises with the flat shells – there are currently 167 remaining in the world. A few of the larger males were recently relocated to a tortoise breeding center on Isabella Island after their shells suffered molten ash damage from the 2008 Cerro Azul eruption. We did happen upon a few wild tortoises during our time on Isabella Island – large ones but nowhere near the 880 lbs that they can achieve.
And while things look bleak for George to pass on his legacy - there is a $10,000 cash reward on the table, if anyone out there happens to be holding onto a female Pinta Island Tortoise...come forward...claim your prize and save a species!
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