A giant tortoise named Diego recently went “back” to the wild! And he got there strapped to a special backpack worn by a park ranger.
Diego was born on Española. That’s one of the Galápagos Islands, in the Pacific Ocean. In the early 1930s, Diego was moved to a zoo in California.
By 1970, only 14 giant Española tortoises were left in the wild. Scientists started a breeding program on another Galápagos island. Diego was flown there from the U.S. The program was a success. The population of Española tortoises is now about 2,000. At least 800 of them are Diego’s children!
Last June, Diego was returned to Española to retire.