Islands want giant tortoise George home

Giant tortoise Lonesome George, was a symbol for conservation efforts on the Galapagos Islands. Photo / Jim Eagles

Ecuador officials say stuffed body of giant tortoise should be displayed in capital, Quito.

Live slow, die old and leave a controversial corpse. That could have been a suitable motto for Lonesome George, the celebrated, centenarian giant tortoise who died in the Galapagos Islands in June 2012.

Now, a row has broken out between the Islands and the Ecuadorian Government in Quito over where George's preserved body ought to be kept and displayed.

Thought to be the last living member of the Pinta Island subspecies of giant tortoise, in his twilight years George became a figurehead for conservation efforts on the Galapagos, the Ecuadorian-owned archipelago famous for its profusion of unique species. Earlier this year, George's body was transported to the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where it was treated by taxidermists and put on display.

George was due to return to the Galapagos in January 2015, to be exhibited at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island, where he had lived since being discovered on nearby Pinta in 1971. Researchers had previously believed Pinta Island tortoises to be extinct, after the island's vegetation and their food source was wiped out by non-indigenous feral goats.

However, officials from the Ecuadorian Ministry of the Environment have pooh-poohed the plan, saying George must instead be permanently displayed in the capital, Quito, where he will be seen by a greater number of visitors. This month, it was announced that a bronze replica would be sent to the Islands. Speaking to El Universo last weekend, Santa Cruz's Mayor, Leopoldo Bucheli, called the decision "outrageous", saying: "George is an icon and should return to Galapagos."

The country's Environment Minister, Lorena Tapia, agreed that it would be best if Lonesome George returned home, but added: "Preserving Lonesome George's body requires special conditions, like moisture, temperature, physical space and security, in addition to the annual retouching made by the experts. At present, there is no site like this in the Galapagos."

Named after George Gobel, a 1950s US television comedian, Lonesome George was approximately 100 years old when he died, which in fact made him relatively young for a giant tortoise. Although he died from natural causes, scientists had expected him to live for several more decades.

A Seychelles giant tortoise named Jonathan, who lives on St Helena, is thought to be 182 years old.

During his lifetime, scientists made numerous attempts to have George mate with females of similar subspecies but while his companions laid several clutches of eggs, none ever hatched. Some of George's cells have been preserved in the hope of one day cloning him.