The Late Lonesome George Returns Home

Published on

March 10, 2017

Written by

Emily Heber

Photo credit

Emily Heber

Lonesome George, the last Pinta Giant Tortoise died in 2012, but has been preserved and returned to the Galápagos as a sign of hope for the future of Giant Tortoises.

The widely reported 2012 death of Lonesome George, the last remaining Pinta Giant Tortoise in existence, was a sad loss for conservation biologists. Lonesome George was one of the world’s most famous Galápagos Giant Tortoises and at 100 years old he was one of the oldest alive. George was lived at the Fausto Llerena Breeding Center at the Galápagos National Park Directorate headquarters on Santa Cruz Islands, Galápagos for the last 40 years of his life.

Now, the tortoise has been preserved in New York and returned home to the Galápagos where he will remain in the Symbol of Hope Exhibit Hall, which is open to the public. Lonesome George is a symbol of hope for the conservation of Galápagos Giant Tortoises, which are threatened by invasive rats.

island conservation lonesome george
Lonesome George was the last known Pinta Giant Tortoise and lived to be over 100 years old. Credit: David Cook

Shortly after the death of Lonesome George, a Tortoise named H-2 was discovered on Isabela Island, and is believed to be descended from a Pinta tortoise that was translocated. H-2, a hybrid of Pinta and another species of Giant Tortoise, could potentially be selectively bred if other Pinta hybrids are found. Conservationists hope selective breeding could bring back the Pinta species.

Perhaps Lonesome George was not the last Tortoise to graze Pinta Island, and could one day be a reminder not of a species lost, but of a species we almost lost.

Featured photo: Lonesome George. Credit: putneymark
Source: Galapagos Conservancy

Back Next

Want to learn more?

Check out other journal entries we think you might be interested in.

What is Climate Week?

Climate Week NYC: what is it and why is it important? Read on to find out why Island Conservation is attending this amazing event!

Rare Joins the Island-Ocean Connection Challenge

Rare will support the effort to restore island-ocean ecosystems by engaging the Coastal 500 network of local leaders in safeguarding biodiversity (Arlington, VA, USA) Today, international conservation organization Rare announced it has joined the Island-Ocean Connection Challenge (IOCC), a global effort to…