Galápagos Giant Tortoises Return to Floreana Island After 150 Years in Historic Reintroduction
Floreana Island, Galápagos — For the first time in nearly a century and a half, giant tortoises are once again roaming part of the Galápagos Islands, marking a milestone moment in wildlife conservation and ecological restoration that has been decades in the making. On 20 February 2026, conservation teams released 158 juvenile giant tortoises onto Floreana Island, reintroducing a keystone species that had been absent from the island’s landscape for approximately 150 years, fundamentally altering the island’s ecology and inspiring hope for similar projects worldwide.
A Lost Species Finds Its Way Home
Once abundant on Floreana, giant tortoises were driven to local extinction in the mid-1800s through a combination of human activities that proved devastating for the slow-moving giants. European whalers and sailors hunted them for food, storing live tortoises in ship holds as a source of fresh meat during long voyages, while human-introduced predators such as rats and cats preyed on eggs and young tortoises, decimating populations faster than they could reproduce. Over time, these giant reptiles — critical to the island’s ecology — disappeared completely from an island they had inhabited for millennia.
Their absence had profound and cascading consequences for Floreana’s delicate ecosystem. Without these massive herbivores grazing and dispersing seeds across the landscape, vegetation patterns shifted dramatically, and the natural balance of the island began to unravel in ways that affected countless other species.
Giant tortoises historically shaped their environment by clearing dense undergrowth, creating open corridors used by other wildlife for movement and foraging, and helping native plant species to flourish through seed dispersal across wide areas. Their loss left a void that scientists long hoped to fill but lacked the tools to address — until now.
Behind the Return: Breeding, Genetics and Science
The reintroduction project that brought tortoises back to Floreana didn’t happen overnight or through simple translocation. It is the culmination of years of scientific research, careful breeding, and innovative conservation techniques that pushed the boundaries of what was thought possible in species restoration.
In the early 2000s, researchers made a remarkable discovery on Wolf Volcano on nearby Isabela Island: tortoises with genetic markers indicating partial ancestry from the extinct Floreana population, suggesting that hybrid individuals carried fragments of the lost lineage. These tortoises were not pure Floreana specimens but held the genetic keys that could unlock a path to restoration.
Using DNA from museum specimens of the original Floreana tortoise collected centuries ago, scientists confirmed that these “hybrid” tortoises — originally transferred between islands by whalers and sailors long ago as convenient food sources — carried fragments of the lost lineage in their genetic code. They became the foundation for a captive breeding program aimed at gradually reconstructing the genetic profile of the extinct species through careful selective breeding over multiple generations.
Since its inception, the program has produced hundreds of offspring closely related to the long-lost Floreana tortoise, with each generation bringing them closer to the original genetic makeup. The 158 juveniles released this month are part of the initial phase of a broader plan to eventually introduce around 700 tortoises to Floreana over time, establishing a self-sustaining population.
Scientists chose individuals between 8 and 13 years old for this first release because they are now robust enough to survive in the wild, larger than predators’ preferred prey size, and better able to fend off threats like rats and feral cats that still pose risks to smaller animals.
Strategic Release and Habitat Management
Conservationists didn’t simply open the transport crates and let the tortoises wander off — the planning involved detailed habitat analysis using advanced tools that would have seemed like science fiction when the last tortoise disappeared from Floreana. Researchers utilized satellite data from NASA to help identify locations on the island that are most likely to support the tortoises long-term based on multiple environmental variables.
By mapping vegetation density, water sources, rainfall patterns, soil types and other environmental factors, scientists aimed to ensure the tortoises had access to food and shelter that would sustain them for decades to come. The chosen release sites offer optimal conditions for the young tortoises to establish themselves.
The first release coincided with the region’s winter rains, a timing strategy that may give the vulnerable juveniles a better start as they begin to navigate their ancestral home with abundant fresh vegetation and water sources. Over the coming years, conservationists will closely monitor the tortoises’ progress, tracking their growth, foraging habits, movement patterns and survival rates as they begin to play their ecological roles once again.
Ecological and Community Impact
For local residents and researchers alike, the sight of giant tortoises on Floreana is not just symbolic — it represents a tangible step toward restoring one of the island’s defining natural elements that has been missing for generations. Floreana is a small, volcanic landmass of around 173 square kilometres and hosts a human population of roughly 200 people, as well as a variety of wildlife including flamingos, iguanas and native birds that will benefit from the tortoises’ return.
The reintroduction of the tortoises is expected to benefit not only animal species but the plant life and broader ecological web that depends on them. As tortoises graze, they’ll create open areas that benefit other species; as they disperse seeds, they’ll help restore native vegetation that has struggled without their assistance.
Locals have expressed pride and enthusiasm at witnessing what many have described as a “dream come true” after years of effort by park authorities and conservation groups working toward this moment. The community has been engaged throughout the planning process, ensuring that local voices are heard and that the project benefits from traditional knowledge.
A Model for Conservation Worldwide
The Floreana project is part of the larger Floreana Ecological Restoration Project, which brings together government agencies, scientific institutions and international conservation organizations in a coordinated effort that spans decades. It serves as a powerful example of what coordinated, long-term efforts can achieve — even for species that have been lost from their native habitat for generations and seemed gone forever.
The innovative use of hybrid genetics to reconstruct an extinct lineage opens new possibilities for conservation biology, suggesting that other lost species might be partially restored through similar techniques. While not a perfect replica of the original population, the hybrid tortoises carry enough of the original genetic material to fulfil the ecological role their ancestors played.
While there is still much work to be done before Floreana’s tortoise population can be considered self-sustaining and genetically viable, the release of these first 158 juveniles marks a hopeful beginning after decades of preparation. If successful, it could pave the way for similar restoration efforts elsewhere, offering a blueprint for reviving ecosystems and honoring the legacy of the unique wildlife that once flourished there.
The Road Ahead
The released tortoises will be monitored closely using GPS tracking and regular surveys to assess their adaptation to the wild. Conservationists will study their diet, growth rates, and reproduction as they mature over the coming years.
Additional releases are planned over the next decade, gradually building toward the target population size that can sustain itself without human intervention. The ultimate goal is a fully functioning Floreana ecosystem where tortoises once again play their historic role.
Conclusion
The return of giant tortoises to Floreana Island represents one of the most ambitious and successful wildlife restoration projects in history. Against long odds, through scientific innovation and persistent effort, a species declared extinct in the wild has been given a second chance.
For the Galápagos Islands, already renowned as a living laboratory of evolution, this achievement adds another chapter to an extraordinary story. For conservation worldwide, it offers hope that even the most profound losses can sometimes be reversed.
Giant tortoises walk on Floreana again. A 150-year absence ends. Conservation makes history.
