Scientists and forest rangers in Ecuador placed 150 giant tortoises in their natural habitat in the Galapagos archipelago after they disappeared from there more than a century ago, according to what the Ministry of Environment announced on Friday. Each turtle underwent a long quarantine and was given an electronic chip to identify it before being released into the forest.

Published on: 02/21/2026 - 12:44 Last updated: 02/21/2026 - 13:12

The Ecuadorian Ministry of Environment announced in a statement on Friday that scientists and forest rangers placed 150 giant tortoises on the island of Floreana in their natural habitat in the Galapagos archipelago after they disappeared from there more than a century ago.

The statement confirmed that the raid guards walked seven kilometers through "volcanic terrain and difficult areas to transport the turtles, making sure they acclimatized." Each turtle underwent a long quarantine, and an electronic chip was placed with it to identify it, before it was released into the forest.

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It is noteworthy that the Galapagos Islands are located a thousand kilometers off the coast of Ecuador, and they have a unique plant and wild life in the world.

In it, the biologist Charles Darwin arrived at his theory of the evolution of species in the nineteenth century.

France 24 / AFP

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