Real Story. Real Stupid.
The Fernandina Giant Tortoise was thought to be extinct. It isn't.
The tortoise had previously last been seen in April of 1906 by Rollo H. Beck and members of the California Academy of Sciences on an expedition. The male tortoise was collected, photographed, and later killed, presumably in the name of science. Don't slow clap yet.
Later expeditions led to discoveries of tortoise droppings and cactus bite marks in 1964 and again in 2013. In 2009 there was even an unconfirmed sighting. In 113 years, no tortoise alive or deceased had been found until February of 2019.
In February 2019 Washington Tapia and other rangers with the Giant Tortoise Restoration Initiative discovered a female Fernandia Giant Tortoise that is believed to be approximately 100 years old. The team took the tortoise and brought her to the breeding center for giant tortoises on Santa Cruz Island. At the breeding center, the tortoise has been put into a specially designed habitat. The team is planning another expedition for later in the year and are hoping to find a male to pair with the female that has been found.
My two cents: In 1906 a Fernandina Giant Tortoise is found. It is captured and killed. In 2019 another tortoise is found and it is taken to be studied, bred, and kept in captivity. What? Seems to me the tortoises were plenty fine for the last 113 plus years without us. I think they should have left it alone.
Rating: I give the story of the kidnapped tortoise 2 out of 5 possible slow claps. Leave it to the humans to meddle in business that isn't theirs.
Arbitrary thoughts: I think this should be known as the pig-nosed tortoise, for obvious reasons.
The Pig-nosed Fernandina Giant Tortoise.
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