galapagos-islands

Feud Erupts Between Ecuador and Galapagos Islands Over Dead Tortoise

Enid Shaw · 09/22/14 08:05PM

Back in June 2012, a tortoise died. That is, in and of itself, kind of newsworthy, given that giant tortoises have a lifespan of well over 100 years; the oldest one, the un-creatively named Jonathan, is still kicking at 182. But the death of Lonesome George was particularly sad, given that the old fellow was believed to be the last of his kind, a Pinta Island subspecies of Galapagos tortoise. He wasn't, by tortoise standards, all that old; according to PBS, George had barely broken 100 when he died in Galápagos National Park, and park officials said they'd investigate his cause of death. (They ultimately determined he'd probably perished from natural causes.) But now, two years later, a serious disagreement has broken out over what remains of George.