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image source, Getty Images
The remains of the reptiles were found on Isabela, the largest island in the Galapagos archipelago (stock photo).
The Ecuadorian Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation into the killing of four giant tortoises in the Galapagos National Park, located on the islands of the same name in the Pacific Ocean.
Prosecutors fear the turtles may have been hunted for food.
“The environmental authority filed the respective complaint on July 7, when the discovery was made,” Rosa León, communications director of the park, told BBC Mundo.
The remains of the reptiles were found on Isabela, the largest island in the Galapagos archipelago.
Killing endangered animals is prohibited in Ecuador since 1933, but more than a dozen have been hunted in the last two years.
Turtle meat was once considered a delicacy, but those who hunt it face up to three years in jail in Ecuador.
The Prosecutor’s Office indicated that it is in the process of interviewing park workers, and appointed a team of “animal necropsy experts” to evaluate the evidence of the case.
image source, Getty Images
Park rangers found the remains of 15 giant tortoises in 2021.
endangered turtles
In September 2021, park rangers found the remains of 15 Sierra Negra giant tortoises on Isabela.
The photos of your empty shells they were shared on social media and caused outrage in Ecuador.
Evidence gathered at the time suggested that all 15 animals had been hunted for their meat.
The recent discovery of the remains of four more animals has reignited fears that the practice continues despite a complete hunting ban.
Galapagos giant tortoises can live more than 100 years and they gained popularity thanks to the English scientist Charles Darwin, who pioneered the theory of evolution by studying them.
Darwin navigated the waters of the Galapagos Islands in a ship called the Beagle. During his trip, the naturalist took 30 live turtles to Polynesia. Most of them were eaten by the crew.
There are currently around 15,000 giant tortoises in the world, compared to 200,000 in the 19th century.
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