Lonesome George: The Life and Loves of a Conservation Icon (MacSci)

Lonesome George is a 5ft long, 200lb tortoise aged between 60 and 200. In 1971 he was discovered on the remote Galapagos island of Pinta, from which tortoises had supposedly been exterminated by greedy whalers and seal hunters. He has been at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz island ever since, on the off-chance that scientific ingenuity will conjure up a way of reproducing him and resurrecting his species. Meanwhile a million tourists and dozens of baffled scientists have looked on as the celebrity reptile shows not a jot of interest in the female company provided. Today, Lonesome George has come to embody the mystery, complexity and fragility of the unique Galapagos archipelago. His story echoes the challenges of conservation worldwide; it is a story of Darwin, sexual dysfunction, adventure on the high seas, cloning, DNA fingerprinting and eco-tourism. Lonesome George Is On The Stamps Of The Galapagos Islands. He Is A 5 Ft Long, 200 Lb Tortoise Aged Between 60 And 200. In 1971 He Was Discovered On The Remote Island Of Pinta, From Which Tortoises Had Supposedly Been Exterminated By Whalers And Seal Hunters In Search Of A Square Meal. He Was Carted Off To His Current Home, The Charles Darwin Research Station On Santa Cruz Island. He Has Been There Ever Since, On The Off Chance That Scientific Ingenuity Will Conjure Up A Way Of Reproducing Him, And Resurrecting His Species. Meanwhile A Million Tourists And Dozens Of Baffled Scientists Have Looked On As George Shows Not A Jot Of Interest In The Female Company Provided. Henry Nicols Details The Efforts Of Conservationists To Preserve The Galapagos' Unique Biodiversity And Illustrates How Their Experiences And Discoveries Are Echoed The World Over. He Explores The Controversies Raging Over Which Mates Are Most Appropriate For George And The Risks Of Releasing Crossbreed Offspring Into The Wild. His Story Draws Together The Islands' Geology, Evolution, History Of Human Exploitation And Imperiled Future. It Features Strong Characters, From Charles Darwin, To Cloning Pioneer Ian Wilmut, To The Beautiful Swiss Graduate Student Who Spent Four Months Trying To Persuade George To Have Sex. Some 100,000 Tourists Visit The Galapagos Islands Each Year; All Drop In On George.--jacket. List Of Figures -- Acknowledgements -- Prologue : A Conservation Icon -- 1. Discovery -- 2. Lonesome George's Girlfriend -- 3. The Origin Of A Species -- 4. Random Drift -- 5. Man Trap -- 6. Lock Up Your Tortoise -- 7. The Mysteries Of Pinta -- 8. The Diaspora -- 9. Wild At Heart -- 10. Faking Organisms -- 11. Clones And Chimeras -- Epilogue : What Now? -- Notes And Sources -- Bibliography And Further Reading -- Figure Acknowledgements -- Index. Henry Nicholls. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 206-223) And Index. Shortlisted for the Royal Society Prize for Science Books. Lonesome George has come to embody the complexity and fragility of the unique Galapagos archipelago. His story echoes the challenges of conservation worldwide. It is a swashbuckling tale of combat on the high seas, sexual dysfunction, hostages, cloning, DNA fingerprinting and eco-tourism Traces the story of a Galapagos Islands tortoise whose life has become symbolic of the conservation movement, in an account that describes his 1971 discovery as a lone surviving member of a believed-extinct species and the subsequent efforts that have been made to reproduce him.