- Giant Tortoise Restoration Initiative (GTRI) director Washington Tapia and a team of rangers from the Galápagos National Park have rediscovered a species of giant tortoise on the Galapagos island of Fernandina believed to have been extinct for more than 100 years.
- The female Chelonoidis phantasticus was found on Fernandina, an active shield volcano and the youngest of the Galápagos Islands.
- The last time a confirmed sighting of the species was registered was in 1906.
- According to a Ecuador government statement, an adult female believed to be more than a century old was seen alive during an expedition by the Giant Tortoise Restoration Initiative (GTRI).
- The female tortoise, thought to be roughly 100 years old, was taken by the team to a breeding center on Santa Cruz Island.
- The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had flagged the Fernandina giant tortoise on its Red List as possibly extinct until 2017, two years after rangers came across the reptile’s feces in the park and three years after the inauguration of the GTRI.
- Experts believe she is not alone. The tracks and scent of other tortoises, believed to be of the same species, were also observed by the team.
- According to the National Geographic, a total of 15 species of Galápagos tortoises have been identified in the Galápagos—two have gone extinct and 12 are threatened with extinction.
