The Tortoise Called Lonesome George Has Died

As I was sifting through the internet I came across some sad news from the animal kingdom, ‘Lonesome’ George, the very last Pinta Giant Tortoise from the Galapagos Islands, has passed away at the age of approximately 100 years old, which made him a young adult as the subspecies can live up to an age of 200.

In 1972, George was first seen on the Galapagos Island of Pinta by a Hungarian scientist who thought, along with the rest of the scientific world, that his species of tortoise was already extinct. He was immediately added to the Galapagos National Park and their breeding programme to preserve the lineage, but was unsuccessful throughout various decades that he was with them. George was found dead in his corral by his keeper of 40 years, Fausto Lierena. 

BBC News writes:

Environmentalists had believed his subspecies (Chelonoidis nigra abingdoni) had become extinct.

He became a symbol of the Galapagos Islands, which attracted some 180,000 visitors a year.

They said his body would probably be embalmed to conserve him for future generations.

Park officials said they would carry out a post-mortem to determine the cause of his death. With no offspring and no known individuals from his subspecies left, Lonesome George became known as the rarest creature in the world.

Read more at bbc.co.uk