Giant Tortoise Population on Aldabra Atoll Reaches a New Record Level

The number of giant tortoises living on the uninhabited Aldabra Atoll, part of the Seychelles, has been estimated at around 180,000. This figure is significantly higher than the results of surveys conducted in the late 1990s, when the population was estimated at about 100,000.

In the 19th century, intensive hunting by European sailors caused the tortoise population in the region to decline sharply, placing the species at risk of extinction. At that time, fewer than a thousand tortoises were believed to remain across the island.

The five-year scientific survey was carried out jointly by the Seychelles Islands Foundation and biologists from the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom.

According to experts, the higher population estimate is not the result of rapid reproduction over a short period, but rather reflects the difficulty of counting tortoises in areas with dense vegetation and improvements in survey methods.