Thursday, June 18, 2020

After saving their species, giant Galapagos tortoises head home

Source Website: https://www.asiaone.com/world/after-saving-their-species-giant-galapagos-tortoises-head-home
By Reuters, Asiaone, 17 June 2020 at 4:05 PM


Galapagos tortoises were bred in captivity to repopulate.
PHOTO: Galapagos tortoises were bred in captivity to repopulate. They lived in captivity for decades and helped rescue their species from the brink of extinction, were released into the wild in the Galapagos Islands.
Picture posted by Reuters on 17 June 2020 at 4:05 PM
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlpICoiGktSlrgzp5uk6Y0TRlucJuiWUsQm6ndFegx2mw5h0ryf0tzfG0KqG9M_Zd1-PtlI0akxaSnMo9HZChyynMAUaZIB0rOUvp_G-08QUoKkBlaNYNVPn-rI6Naz-JdcTBA1_nQRsI/s1600/20200617_galapagos+tortoise_reuters.jpg
https://www.asiaone.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_main_image/public/original_images/Jun2020/20200617_galapagos%20tortoise_reuters.jpg?itok=U8NJH0tc
https://www.asiaone.com/world/after-saving-their-species-giant-galapagos-tortoises-head-home


GALAPAGOS - A group of giant tortoises who have lived in captivity for decades and helped rescue their species from the brink of extinction were released into the wild in the Galapagos Islands on Monday (15 June 2020).

The tortoises were bred in captivity to repopulate the islands after their numbers in the wild went down to just 15 individuals, said park director Danny Rueda. There are now more than 2,000 of them on Espanola Island, he said.

The giant tortoises are known for their long, leathery necks and lifespans of over 100 years.
 

The tortoises were bred in captivity to repopulate the islands after their numbers in the wild went down to just 15 individuals, said park director Danny Rueda.
PHOTO: The tortoises were bred in captivity to repopulate the islands after their numbers in the wild went down to just 15 individuals, said park director Danny Rueda. There are now more than 2,000 of them on Espanola Island.
Picture posted by LadyBlue-Art on 29 March 2012
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https://www.deviantart.com/ladyblue-art/art/The-Great-Turtle-292813101


Virtually synonymous with the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador, they were one of the species that helped Charles Darwin form his theory of evolution in the 19th century.

One of the newly freed tortoises is Diego, estimated to be around 100 years old. Renowned for his fertility, he alone has fathered some 800 offspring.
 

One of the newly freed tortoises is Diego, estimated to be around 100 years old. Renowned for his fertility, he alone has fathered some 800 offspring.
PHOTO: One of the newly freed tortoises is Diego, estimated to be around 100 years old. Renowned for his fertility, he alone has fathered some 800 offspring.
Picture posted by Cecilia Olivera-Hillway on 19 March 2005 - Space turtle
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhUf2YYprx6H-jvTML0OQmXkl3MQgjRnr-DX7mRLiwbRmx94NESOHheWeTiLz8EVtsfyvMVff4yyz0FPsh8dYfWx_iBUEbEqJPsRboEGleL8xJ-Orof0n6_QaB7k3PZmzHlId-9iAEmgM/s1600/d9nzyn-11e891d9-7019-4fc1-bf76-58b9e4f9be3e.jpg
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https://www.deviantart.com/cocowash/art/Space-turtle-16236239


Diego's return to his native Espanola comes after around eight decades of living in a California zoo and then in the tortoise recovery programme on Santa Cruz island in the Galapagos.

For his final journey home, Diego was taken by boat to Espanola, along with 14 of his companions.


Diego's return to his native Espanola comes after around eight decades of living in a California zoo and then in the tortoise recovery programme on Santa Cruz island in the Galapagos.
PHOTO: Diego's return to his native Espanola comes after around eight decades of living in a California zoo and then in the tortoise recovery programme on Santa Cruz island in the Galapagos.
For his final journey home, Diego was taken by boat to Espanola, along with 14 of his companions.
Picture posted by WallpaperCave
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv3vUrqw1rH8fnpdhi0AIjqCFJxzGrWLZwV5byG_JQTS3u4Do__W_SlVIkaFXvR699a-Bd5RbtzZDnxoRjb4nGj-tddwUnnzmu9Ur3ToFb6yBX1EmkMtdwp3RbaPc4G88ydulxG6fD2rc/s1600/CkA0w2K.jpg
https://wallpapercave.com/wp/CkA0w2K.jpg
https://wallpapercave.com/w/CkA0w2K


From there, rangers used backpacks to take the tortoises - who can weigh up to 180kg - to an area where cactus grows in abundance that will help them readapt. There, they will be monitored with GPS trackers.

It has been a conservation success story.

"We can shut down the captive breeding programme of this species because their natural behaviour is effective," said Mr Rueda.


It has been a conservation success story.
PHOTO: It has been a conservation success story.
Picture posted by Reptangle on 04 February 2013 - Winged tortoise
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO5mP-QelMwUNmi0FGahm66wGVidboDbiQvyWRRzUit4C3-xgmdqlpa1W7VsvK2y0-T5_8tgOkUrm6FIbqVN69V8_6IhaYkqIiBfNYDPmPG2L8_LcYmxCy4Ov4HfnGRigtkQ7A23TyvdQ/s1600/d5tsdvc-7343c6ac-8fd5-4502-92d0-848c3d71c37e.jpg
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https://www.deviantart.com/reptangle/art/Winged-tortoise-352364088
 

The Bible and the Judaic Christian tradition teach and command us to treat animals with kindness and respect.
The Bible and the Judaic Christian tradition teach and command us to treat animals with kindness and respect.
PHOTO: The Bible and the Judaic Christian tradition teach and command us to treat animals with kindness and respect.

Probably no passage in the Bible has been so misunderstood and misinterpreted as Genesis 1:26, where God gives humankind “dominion” over nature and animals. This has often been mistakenly interpreted as a synonym for ownership, giving humans the right to treat nature and animals as they see fit. However, since there was no violence in the Garden of Eden and since God described all of Creation as “very good,” it is much more reasonable to regard human “dominion” as a sacred responsibility to be good stewards of the natural world. In addition to caring for and protecting the earth, Genesis 1:28 commands humankind to “replenish the earth.”

ll living things belong toGod, and God declares in Psalm 50:10-11, “For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine” (KJV) [2]
Picture posted by Reddit on Monday, 16 April 2018 at 11:30:04 SGT - PsBattle: This sea turtle
Other stories



Reference
[1] Reuters, Asiaone, After saving their species, giant Galapagos tortoises head home, posted on 17 June 2020 at 4:05 PM, https://www.asiaone.com/world/after-saving-their-species-giant-galapagos-tortoises-head-home

[2] The Bible’s Teachings on Protecting Animals and Nature,  https://www.humanesociety.org/sites/default/files/docs/replenish-booklet-in-color.pdf
 

Links
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