86 captive-bred Galapagos tortoises returned to their natural habitat.
The Directorate of the Galapagos National Park, in conjunction with the Galapagos Conservancy, released 86 hatchlings of the species ‘Chelonidis hoodensis’. They were part of the Captive Breeding Program and they meet the necessary conditions to be part of the ecosystem of the Española Island.

There are still 250 turtles that are in the process of completing their release.
This breeding program has been operating for more than 50 years. It is one of the most successful that the Galapagos National Park has developed since they have managed to maintain a population of more than 3,000 tortoises on the Española Island.
Before the turtles were repatriated, they had to undergo a period of quarantine, deworming and the placement of an identification microchip. After all this process, they were transferred to the southern center of Española by helicopter.
As Washington Tapia, executive director of the Galapagos Conservancy, mentions, the presence of these tortoises on Española Island has been fundamental since they are considered the main herbivore. In addition, they help to clear the areas where the albatrosses land when they come to the island to breed.
There are still 250 turtles that are in the process of completing their release. As they do not meet the conditions to survive on their own on their island of origin, they will be kept at the Fausto Llerena breeding center.