Ecuadorian government launches investigation into killing of four Galapagos tortoises

The Ecuadorian government has ordered an investigation into the killing of four Galapagos giant tortoises and according to BBC, the prosecutors believe that they were hunted and eaten.

The tortoises are huge in size – sometimes weighing around 417 kg – and they have an average lifespan of 100 years. It was first discovered and named by Spanish explorers who visited the island.

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The animals were killed in a national park on Isabela – a venue infamous for such incidents. In 2021, 15 Sierra Negra giant tortoises were also found dead in the same national park.

At that time, the investigators concluded that the tortoises were killed because of their meat but were unable to catch hold of all the people involved in the crime.

According to the law of Ecuador, killingendangered animals is a punishable offence and although there is a big market for their meat, poachers are imprisoned for three years or more.

In the recent past, experts have expressed their concerns regarding the Galapagos tortoises. There are only 15,000 left at the moment – down from 200,000 in the 19th century, according to researchers.

While a number of them have gone extinct due to natural reasons, hunting and poaching remain a serious problem. Although there are laws protecting tortoises, this became the second high-profile case in as many years.

A number of incidents have occurred in the last few years in the region and the experts said that they will carry out post-mortem tests on the animals to determine the exact reason of death.