More than 100 baby tortoises stolen from breeding facility in the Galapagos Islands
A local politician says all 123 of the reptiles were taken in a robbery from the facility, which has no security or light sensors.
Saturday 6 October 2018 17:13, UK
Thieves have stolen more than 100 baby giant tortoises from a breeding facility in the Galapagos Islands, an official has said.
"They were all taken at once, 123 in all. It was a robbery," local politician Washington Paredes said.
The incident is said to have happened on Tuesday.
The Galapagos tortoises are native to seven of the Galapagos Islands - a volcanic archipelago about 620 miles (1,000 km) west of the Ecuadorian mainland.
Lumbering adult giant turtles are revered as a beloved symbol of the region's biodiversity and a reminder of how Charles Darwin conceived his theory of natural selection.
Galapagos National Park said it was preparing a statement on the alleged theft of the hatchlings from a facility on the island of Isabela.
Mr Paredes noted that the breeding facility where the tortoises were taken from was poorly protected, with no security cameras or light sensors.
"The turtles are just there. If somebody wants to go in by night and steal, they can," he said.
In June, 26 adult turtles were returned to the islands after being smuggled to Peru.
The Galapagos giant tortoise are the largest living species of tortoise and are among the seven longest-lived vertebrates - with a captive individual living at least 170 years.
Spanish explorers who discovered the islands in the 16th century named them after the Spanish galapago, meaning "tortoise".