Baby Tortoises Were Born on a Galapagos Island for the First Time in 100 Years

Here’s a nice, positive story in the midst of the seemingly-nonstop flow of awful news stories lately.

Pinzon in the Galapagos Islands is home to tortoises that are on the endangered species list, but the good news is that for the first time in 100 years, baby tortoises are back!

Photo Credit: iStock

So why did it take so long? Well blame the rats. And the humans.

Ships brought rats to the Galapagos in the 1700s and rats ate tortoise eggs (and the eggs of other species) and the island’s ecosystem was altered drastically.

The effects were particularly devastating for tortoises, and none were seen on Pinzon for over 100 years. The remaining tortoise eggs on Pinzon were removed from the island in 1960 and allowed to hatch on another island.

Five years later the tortoises were brought back to Pinzon but rats still proved to be a problem.

Photo Credit: iStock

The years went on but still, no baby tortoises were born on Pinzon. Finally, in 2012, poison was air dropped on the island to finally rid Pinzon of the rats that had wreaked havoc for hundreds of years.

In 2015, it was announced that baby tortoises were born on Pinzon for the first time in over 100 years.

Do you want some even better news? It’s now estimated that the current population of tortoises on Pinzon numbers at least 500.