Father of 800 descendants: Diego the giant turtle retires after rescuing his species

At the age of one hundred, the armored reptile will return to its home in the Galapagos Islands, with the end of a particularly successful breeding program. When it started, there were only 15 giant deer on Espaniola Island, but since then 2,000 more turtles have hatched, 40% of which were Diego's labor, borrowed from a San Diego zoo

Father of 800 descendants: Diego the giant turtle retires after rescuing his species

(In the video: Diego Sex Offenders, 2016)

The National Park in the Galapagos Islands announced the end of the captive breeding program for the giant deer, after one turtle - named Diego - managed to bring more than 800 offspring into the world, saving its species.

When the breeding program began, only 15 species of Clonoidis Hodensis remained in the wild on Espanyola Island. Twelve were females and three males. They faced immediate extinction, but the plan included Diego, borrowed from the San Diego Zoo. His role was vital, and 40% of the 2,000 offspring born under the program were the product of Diego, over a century old.

Sex machine. Diego mates with a turtle in the Galapagos Islands National Park, last year (Photo: AFP)

Diego Turtle Mates in the Galapagos Islands, February 27, 2019 (Photo: AFP, official website)

"He will return to his home island almost eight decades after being removed," said the Galapagos Conservancy Conservation. Experts believe that the population is now stable enough for the next 100 years, when new offspring are not needed.

The plan was also successful thanks to the migration of invasive species and the processing of cactus plants from which the turtles feed.
In the past, there were 15 giant deer species in the islands, but two of them became extinct. In the mid-19th century, they were hunted by seafarers and whalers.

The Great Turtle Robbery of the Galapagos Islands