Floreana giant tortoise reintroduced to Galápagos island after nearly 200 years

A captive 'back‑breeding' programme returned 158 juvenile Floreana giant tortoises to Floreana island, restoring a subspecies absent since the 1840s. The reintroduction followed invasive rat and feral cat removal that began in 2023 and is part of a wider ecological restoration effort.

Giant tortoises have been returned to Floreana island in the Galápagos for the first time in more than 180 years. The animals released are juveniles produced through a captive "back‑breeding" programme that used descendants identified on Wolf volcano. The Floreana subspecies was driven to extinction in the 1840s after whalers removed many individuals. The release follows an invasive species eradication effort on Floreana that began in 2023 and removed most rats and feral cats. Key facts: - 158 juvenile tortoises descended in part from the Floreana subspecies were returned to Floreana. - A back‑breeding programme began in 2017 using 23 hybrid tortoises identified as most closely related to the original Floreana lineage. - More than 600 hatchlings had been born by 2025, and several hundred grew large enough to be returned to the island. - Invasive species removal on Floreana began in 2023 and has removed most rats and feral cats, enabling reintroduction work. - The Galápagos rail was rediscovered on Floreana and there have been reported increases in ground finches, native geckos, lizards and snails. - The Floreana Ecological Restoration Project is a partnership with the Galápagos national park directorate, conservation charities and the island's roughly 160 residents. Summary: The reintroduction aims to restore ecological processes by returning a keystone species that disperses seeds, shapes vegetation and creates micro‑habitats. Project leaders describe the tortoise release as a scientific and community milestone that follows invasive species control and sets the stage for future restoration efforts, including the reported goal of returning species such as the Floreana mockingbird, the Floreana racer snake, the vegetarian finch and the little vermilion flycatcher.