207 giant tortoises to be released in the Galapagos

[Judi Lynn]

207 giant tortoises to be released in the Galapagos
Updated: May 23, 2015 12:09 IST


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In this 2013 photo, a giant tortoise is seen on a road at Santa Cruz island in the Galapagos National Park. Administrators at
the Park said 207 giant tortoises will be released in June 2015 on the island of Santa Fe.

Reuters
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Administrators at Ecuador’s Galapagos National Park said 207 giant tortoises will be released next month on the island of Santa Fe, where the native tortoises died out more than 150 years ago.

The tortoises to be set loose on June 5, 2015 by the park directors and the Galapagos Conservancy group belong to the species Chelonoidis hoodensis, Spanish news agency Efe reported from the South American nation.

Native to the Galapagos island of Espanola, the Chelonoidis is morphologically and genetically similar to the original Santa Fe tortoise.

The aim of the initiative is to establish “a breeding population that fulfils a function in the ecosystem”, park management said.

“Once the tortoises are introduced, a key part of this project is to assess changes in the ecosystem resulting from the presence of these chelonians, and to evaluate the interaction between the tortoises and the island’s land iguanas, particularly in the use of shared resources like food,” Danny Rueda, Galapagos ecosystems director, said.

More:
http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/207-giant-tortoises-to-be-released-in-the-galapagos/article7238605.ece

Environment and energy:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/112785932

[newfie11]

1. That's awesome

Thank you Ecuador.