Lonesome George finally kicks the bucket. :(

TIG Benefactor Posts : 1545 Join date : 2009-11-23

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-18574279

Quote :: Staff at the Galapagos National Park in Ecuador say Lonesome George, a giant tortoise believed to be the last of its subspecies, has died.

Scientists estimate he was about 100 years old.

Park officials said they would carry out a post-mortem to determine the cause of his death.

With no offspring and no known individuals from his subspecies left, Lonesome George became known as the rarest creature in the world.

For decades, environmentalists unsuccessfully tried to get the Pinta Island tortoise to reproduce with females from a similar subspecies on the Galapagos Islands.

Park officials said the tortoise was found dead in his corral by his keeper of 40 years, Fausto Llerena.

While his exact age was not known, Lonesome George was estimated to be about 100, which made him a young adult as the subspecies can live up to an age of 200.

RIP George. Hoping the hills in tortoise heaven are flowing with Pinta females for you. It's been a long wait. Sad

Such ashame, species gone forever.
Theres still one tortoise alive from the 1830s http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_(tortoise)

Force Addict Posts : 2515 Join date : 2009-11-20

oh thats sad news.....everbody knew this "last turtle" I think!

RIP Georg!!

I wonder if our kids have more of those "last knowns" of a species???

Sad