Blogs

Meet Diego, the 100yr old Galapagos tortoise who saved his species

Dec 25, 2024 | Entertainment, World

December 25, 2024

Diego is a Hood Island giant tortoise. Thought to have been hatched on Española Island, Galápagos, he was captured as a young adult and shipped to the United States where he was exhibited at zoos. By the late 1940s, he was at the San Diego Zoo, though his species was not known. A captive breeding effort for the critically endangered Hood Island tortoises was set up in 1976, by which time only 15 individuals were known to survive. Diego was identified as a Hood Island tortoise by DNA testing and was sent to Santa Cruz Island to join the program. Diego fathered more than 900 offspring who were released on Española which helped to increase the wild population to more than 2,000. The breeding program ended in January 2020 and Diego is officially retired, and was released into the wild in June 2020.

Did you like this article?

Did you like this article?

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Posts

Toronto will be adding a Latin Coffee Party… Café con Leche

In cities like Los Angeles and Toronto, a refreshing trend is emerging: the coffee party. These vibrant gatherings combine the warmth of freshly brewed coffee with live music, creating an inclusive and relaxed atmosphere where people from all walks of life can...

Events

Related articles