Survey finds 180,000 giant tortoises thriving on Seychelles island

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 8 Oct, 17:31 · Archive

A survey has found approximately 180,000 Aldabra giant tortoises living on Aldabra Atoll in Seychelles, the highest figure ever recorded.

A survey of the world's largest free-roaming giant tortoise population has revealed that the once endangered Aldabra giant tortoise is thriving. The most recent survey, led by the Seychelles Islands Foundation and the University of Exeter, found approximately 180,000 tortoises living on Aldabra Atoll. A team analysed five years of tortoise counts collected between 2018 and 2022, providing the first update since a widely cited figure of 100,000 from the late 1990s. The study, published in the journal Ecology and Evolution, found the population relatively stable at a best estimate of almost 183,000 adult and sub-adult tortoises.

The recovery represents a dramatic turnaround from the 19th century, when exploitation left fewer than 1,000 Aldabra tortoises on the island. A conservation recovery programme led to the island becoming a strict nature reserve in 1981 and a UNESCO site in 1982. Dr Frauke Fleischer-Dogley, CEO of the Seychelles Islands Foundation, said the finding was 'proof of what long-term commitment to conservation can achieve'. Aldabra Atoll is one of only two places where giant tortoises are found in the wild, with a much smaller population living in the Galápagos.

How it is being reported

• Giant tortoise population thriving as survey discovers 180,000 on one islandThis is the highest figure ever recorded for the species and far exceeds the human population of the Seychelles.New York Post · 8 Oct, 17:17
• Researchers find 180,000 giant tortoises living on island in SeychellesFigure is highest ever recorded for species and confirms one of Indian Ocean’s greatest conservation success stories A landmark survey of the world’s largest free-roaming giant tortoise population has revealed the once endangered species is thriving. A population of Aldabra giant tortoise lives on an island in Seychelles called Aldabra Atoll. Continue reading...The Guardian · 8 Oct, 17:11

In this story: Aldabra Atoll · Seychelles · Seychelles Islands Foundation · University of Exeter · Frauke Fleischer-Dogley · Galápagos

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