Extinct giant tortoise returns 已滅絕的巨型陸龜“起死回生”瞭

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Extinct giant tortoise returns 已滅絕的巨型陸龜“起死回生”瞭

學習要點

有關“survival 存活”的詞匯

Extinct giant tortoise returns 已滅絕的巨型陸龜“起死回生”瞭

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Who were responsible for making the Floreana tortoises become extinct?

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Nothing happens too quickly in the tortoise world but this is a comeback worth the wait. The Floreana tortoise, once thought wiped out, has been on the extinction list for a century and a half. Now, with careful conservation, the species is being brought back from the dead.

The species became extinct from its home island of Floreana during the mid-nineteenth century after hunting and exploitation from the first settlers. Some Floreana were dropped on other islands breeding with other tortoises.

But now the original species is slowly and steadily staging its return. A breeding programme at the Galapagos National Park has yielded dozens of Floreana pure-bred tortoises, with hopes of thousands more in the coming years.

They’ll be given time to grow into their shells within the national park. Then it’s hoped that in five years the Floreana will be released back into the wild to their island. But there’s no rush!

在烏龜的世界裡沒有什麼事會來得太快，不過巨型陸龜的回歸可絕對是一件值得等待的事情。曾被認為已在我們視野裡消失瞭的佛羅裡安那象龜在已滅絕動物名單中待瞭一個半世紀。而現在，經過人們精心的保護，這個物種竟然“起死回生”瞭。

在十九世紀中期，由於佛羅裡安那的第一批定居者在島上的捕獵和開發，佛羅裡安那象龜在其傢鄉徹底消失瞭。一些佛羅裡安那象龜被遺棄在其它島嶼上，與別的品種的烏龜共同繁殖。

但現在，佛羅裡安那象龜的數量正在緩慢而穩定地回歸。加拉帕戈斯國傢公園的育種計劃已經培養瞭數十種佛羅裡安那純種象龜，並希望其數量在未來達到數千種。

人們給這些巨型龜們足夠的時間，讓它們待在國傢公園裡直到長好龜殼。之後希望在五年內，佛羅裡安那象龜可以被放回到其生長島嶼的野生環境中生活。不過這些都需要慢慢來。