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Lonesome George - the last surviving Pinta Island tortoise

Lonesome George is the last surviving Pinta Island tortoise and is being cared for in the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island. The rest of his species were wiped out by whalers and buccaneers in the 18th and 19th centuries. He is proof of what can go wrong when humans invade a fragile paradise. It may be too late to save his species, but tortoises from a nearby location were rescued just in time to try to conserve their species. Captive breeding programmes at the research station are proving successful and young tortoises are returned to their native Espanola Island.

NOTE: Lonesome George died in 2012. This clip was factually accurate when originally broadcast.

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Duration:

3 minutes