Tortoise Feeding *Conservation Activity*

When humans first discovered Alphonse Island there were no giant tortoises recorded. An unknown number was introduced prior to 1954 and 15 animals of unknown origin were present on Alphonse during 1954–1959. In 2010, only 25 animals were reported to be present on Alphonse Island. In 2016, nine adults and 15 juveniles were introduced to the island by ICS. Today, 76 tortoises roam freely on the island and contribute to improving the genetic diversity of the Alphonse tortoise population. All the tortoises on Alphonse Island have been specially micro-chipped to allow ICS to effectively monitor the population size and study the movement patterns, behaviour, growth and survival of individuals. The juveniles are fed daily in the tortoise pen, join our team in learning about this pre-historic species!