After 180 years, giant tortoises are back home on Floreana Island in the Galápagos. The Galápagos are a chain of volcanic islands off the coast of Ecuador.
When early settlers arrived, they changed the landscape and hunted the giant tortoises on Floreana Island into extinction.
Fortunately, scientists discovered that some of their descendants had survived on nearby Isabella Island.
Scientists bred the tortoises and released 156 young individuals on Floreana Island in 2026. It will take some time for their population to recover, but this is a happy start!
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