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Defenders Magazine
Fall 2008
Wildlife: A Bachelor No More
istockphoto.com
"Lonesome George," the last known, pure-bred Pinta tortoise, a type of giant tortoise in the Galapagos Islands, may finally save his subspecies from extinction. After 36 years of spurning the opposite sex, the 60- to 90-year old has finally mated—with a closely related species of Galapagos tortoise. Park rangers found a nest with several eggs in July. But it will be November before the baby tortoises hatch—if all goes well. George is considered a conservation icon and one of the world's rarest creatures. Fishermen, whalers and pirates relentlessly slaughtered the 550-pound creatures for food and oil until only about 100 years ago.
