I think he died of unrequited love. It was rumored that after the failed forays into romance and procreation that he'd become a shell of his former self. So sad. RIP, George.
Posted on 06/24/2012 2:30:26 PM PDT by Dysart
..."This morning the park ranger in charge of looking after the tortoises found Lonesome George, his body was motionless," the head of the Galapagos National Park, Edwin Naula, told Reuters. "His life cycle came to an end."
George was believed to be around 100 years old and the last member of a species of giant tortoise from La Pinta, one of the smallest islands in the Galapagos, the Galapagos National Park said.
BREAK
Scientists had been trying to get George to mate since 1993, when they introduced two female tortoises of a different subspecies into his pen. They laid eggs twice, but they were infertile.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
I think he died of unrequited love. It was rumored that after the failed forays into romance and procreation that he'd become a shell of his former self. So sad. RIP, George.
Bushes fault.
Bush’s fault...
You beat me... :)
Nope—Jesse Jackson’s fault. He stayed outta da bushes.
/johnny
But he spelled it wrong! LOL
I’ve met George. Might even have a picture of the two of us around here somewhere. We were both younger then:)
If he is the last of those tortoises who is the guy in the corner?
Didn’t they freeze his sperm for at least artificial insemination for continuation of the species, aka hybrids?
I’ve seen him up close. Pretty wild.
Good questions. George was the last member of a subspecies of giant tortoises native to the Galapagos, and the pic I posted was a dated one; and I think that of his failed mating partner you see in the bottom of the pic.
I don't know if they had secured his sperm. No mention of it anywhere. However this death was a surprise to them, and since they are expected to live much longer, they may not have thought it imperative to snatch his DNA material.
Hubby had to find that cartoon on YouTube. Hilarious!
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