On June the 24th this year a Galapagos giant tortoise by the name of Lonesome George died. The 100 year old male Pinta Island tortoise was believed to be the last known individual of the subspecies Chelonoidis nigra abingdonii, and served as the symbol for conservation efforts in the Galapagos.
Lonesome George, in life. Photograph: Rodrigo Buenia/AFP/Getty Images.
George's death had many in mourning, particularly those promoting conservation of the area, as it was believed that this was the extinction of one of the Island's unique lineages of giant tortoise. George was likely made the so-called 'rarest creature in the world' by the actions of humans - giant tortoises on Pinta Island and others were historically hunted almost to extinction, and the island's vegetation, serving as habitat and food, had been devastated by introduced feral goats.
We will follow Lonesome George's story, including the past attempts at conserving his subspecies, and certain recent scientific breakthroughs, to investigate not just the negative effect humans can have on other species, but also the lengths they can go to trying to reverse these mistakes.
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