The Galápagos giant tortoise is the largest living species of tortoise and among the longest lived. Española is one of the oldest of the Galápagos Islands in Ecuador
A giant tortoise whose libido has been credited with saving his species from extinction is to return to the wild.
Diego, an Española giant tortoise on loan from San Diego Zoo, California, was among 14 male tortoises chosen to take part in a breeding programme at the Galápagos National Park, at a time when only 15 members of the species remained in the wild.
The programme was a resounding success, producing more than 2,000 tortoises since it began in the 1960s and Diego, now more than 100 years old, is believed to have produced around 800 offspring.
The programme has now finished and Diego will be returned to his native island of Española in March.
Jorge Carrion, the park’s director, told the AFP news agency: “He’s contributed a large percentage to the lineage that we are returning to Española. There’s a feeling of happiness to have the possibility of returning that tortoise to his natural state.”
