Turtles in Trouble: The World's 25+ Most Endangered - Wildlife ...

Turtles in Trouble: Top 25+ Endangered Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles—2011Pinta Giant Tortoise, Abingdon Island Giant TortoiseChelonoidis abingdonii (Günther 1877); Family TestudinidaeSouth America: Ecuador (Galápagos: Pinta [Abingdon] [extirpated])IUCN Red List: EW, Extinct in the Wild, as Chelonoidis nigra abingdoniCITES: Appendix I, as Chelonoidis nigraWhile there is some scientific disagreementwhether the various differentisland forms of Galápagos tortoisesrepresent separate species or subspecies,all agree that Lonesome George(aptly named and seen here at right)is the last surviving individual of hiskind, the Abingdon Island or Pinta GiantTortoise, Chelonoidis abingdonii.The species was driven to near-extinctionby collection for consumption bywhalers during the 19th century andother Galápagos settlers during the20th century, with Lonesome Georgebeing found as the last living tortoiseon his island in 1972.After being found he was movedinto protective custody at the CharlesDarwin Research Station on SantaCruz Island in the hope that a femalemight be found for a captive breedingprogram—but this has not happeneddespite extensive husbandry and matingefforts. Thus the Pinta Tortoise isnow listed as Extinct in the Wild onthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species,and his species faces imminentand certain extinction unless a femaleof his kind is found somewhere.Amazingly, and offering a faint glimmer of hope, recentfield research elsewhere in the Galápagos has demonstratedthat a very few hybrid animals carrying up to 50% ofLonesome George’s genotype have been found among wildtortoises on Albemarle Island (Isabela) around the base ofVolcan Wolf. These are likely from a ship dropping somePinta Tortoises overboard in an emergency long ago, afterwhich some of them drifted ashore and interbred with theLonesome George, Chelonoidis abingdonii. Photo by Anders G.J. Rhodin.local tortoises, Chelonoidis becki. Genetic screening andselective back-crossing offers new hope that LonesomeGeorge’s lineage could be partially restored, but this wouldbe an exceedingly long shot with very low likelihood of success.Lonesome George has become a conservation icon anda symbol for heroic last-ditch efforts to save a species fromextinction, but barring unlikely reproductive success, maytruly become the very last of his kind.Distribution of Chelonoidis abingdonii.Lonesome George, C. abingdonii. Photo by Peter C.H. Pritchard.– 18 –