The Tortoise Who Fathered 800 Young: How Diego Saved His Species From Extinction

In the late 1960s, the Española giant tortoise (Chelonoidis hoodensis) was effectively doomed. Centuries of hunting by whalers, combined with the destructive introduction of feral goats, had reduced

In the late 1960s, the Española giant tortoise (Chelonoidis hoodensis) was effectively doomed. Centuries of hunting by whalers, combined with the destructive introduction of feral goats, had reduced the entire global population to just 15 individuals scattered across a ruined ecosystem. With only 12 females and three males left alive, natural reproduction had completely ground to a halt. What followed is one of the greatest, highest-stakes rescue missions in conservation history anchored by a le