Lonesome George may not be quite so alone after all. Geneticists have uncovered a tortoise on Isabela with clear signs of Pinta ancestry.

There were once thousands of giant tortoises roaming over the volcanic slopes of Pinta, one of the world-famous Galapagos Islands. Today there is just Lonesome George, discovered in 1972 and taken into captivity in the hope that a companion or two might turn up.

The discovery of a tortoise on Wolf Volcano on Isabela with a distinct smattering of Pinta genes gives new hope for Lonesome George as the Charles Darwin Foundation reassesses his options in the light of this new knowledge.

Geneticists have singled out this Isabela tortoise from 27 animals sampled back in 2000. Only recently have they been able to extract DNA from museum specimens collected from Pinta, a step that was needed to expose this individual's connections with Lonesome George. It is a hybrid animal - a cross between a Pinta male and an Isabela female.

Unfortunately for Lonesome George, this new tortoise is also a male. However, it could well have siblings out there, they suggest in Current Biology. There may be around 1500 animals in the region this tortoise was found, estimates the Charles Darwin Foundation, so a sampling trip could uncover other animals of Pinta ancestry.

"It will take a team of about 20 people about three to four weeks to do a first, exhaustive sampling and transmitter-tagging of the tortoises on the volcano," says Gisella Caccone, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Yale University in Connecticut. "Then once individuals of interest are found - either hybrids with Pinta or pure Pinta animals - an equivalent field expedition will have to be mounted to find the animals and bring them in captivity." The survey alone will cost at least $30,000, she estimates, although there would be plenty of other interesting research boxes that could be ticked off during such an expedition.

"This is an extraordinary discovery that injects new hope into Lonesome George's incredible life story." says Henry Nicholls, author of Lonesome George: The Life and Loves of a Conservation Icon, which has recently been shortlisted for this year's Royal Society General Book Prize.

A successful captive breeding programme involving Lonesome George is still a very long way off. "Even if other tortoises are found, there's no guarantee they will suit George, as they will almost certainly be hybrids and not 100% Pinta animals," says Nicholls. "But if they do and breeding were successful, it would still be an immense challenge to establish a viable population of this critically endangered species."

But, he says, this is certainly the best news that Lonesome George has had in his long lifetime.

Source: WildAid

During the month of April, the Galapagos National Park Service (GNPS) made the following progress in halting illegal fishing within the Galapagos Marine Reserve:

• On Sunday 22nd April, the GNPS patrol vessel "Guadalupe River" intercepted the Tatiana II, a fishing boat from San Cristobal, and two small fiberglass launches ten miles north of the island Pinta employing long lines, which are prohibited in the Galapagos Marine Reserve. Upon inspection of the vessel, the Park Rangers observed 65 sharks, 18 lobsters, and 31 sally-light foot crabs. Both sharks and sally-light foot crabs are protected and there is a moratorium for the harvesting of the particular lobster species. In addition, only three of Tatiana's eleven crewmembers possessed GNPS-issued fishing permits. A total of five infractions were registered and now both administrative and penal processes will be initiated by the GNPS.
• On Sunday 15th April, the GNPS patrol vessel "Guadalupe River" discovered a large gillnet five miles southeast of Puerto Villamil, island of Isabela. The Park Wardens arrived just in time and were able to free two hammerhead sharks and a manta ray, but unfortunately they were too late to save three other sharks. The Park entered in pursuit of the fishermen, but was unable to apprehend them as night fell on the islands.
• At a different location on Sunday 15th April, Park Rangers discovered six large sacks containing gillnets off the western coast of Isabela. Gillnets are used for illegal shark fishing.

Sharks found by the "Guadalupe River" © Galapagos National Park Service	A gillnet used for shark fishing © Galapagos National Park Service

WildAid, in cooperation with partners, assists the poorly funded Galapagos National Park Service in ensuring the uninterrupted patrolling of the Marine Reserve by providing training, equipment, personnel, funding and the maintenance of oceanic vessels and the patrol plane.

Source: Charles Darwin Foundation

A 10-day intensive examination of the introduced rat and mouse problem in Galapagos was organised by the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) and the Galapagos National Park Service (GNPS) from the 2nd to the 12th of April in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island. The workshop brought together local management authorities and scientists with participants from Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, the UK, and the USA; experts on invasive species control with extensive experience in the eradication of rodents on islands as well as the flora and fauna of Galapagos.

Building on the recent success of Project Isabela, which achieved the eradication of goats, pigs, and donkeys from some of the larger islands, the next challenge will be the elimination of introduced rodents such as the black rat, Rattus rattus and the common house mouse Mus musculus, two of the most invasive and destructive invasive species that have arrived in Galapagos since the discovery of the islands in 1535.

Linda Cayot, the workshop coordinator and a former Coordinator of Project Isabela and longterm CDF researcher said, "The combination of expertise at this workshop has already created an exciting plan for Pinzon and Rabida islands which will provide a testing ground for the eradication of rodents from the entire archipelago."

While representing a huge challenge for both scientists and managers, 'Project Pinzon: The First Step in the Eradication of the Introduced Rodents in Galapagos', is strategically designed to look to the future, when the knowledge and technology exist to eradicate introduced rodents from the larger, more complex islands. "I was thrilled to be a part of the start of another exciting programme, much like Project Isabela, and look forward to the day when Galapagos is both goat-free and [introduced] rat-free." said Cayot.

The group visited Floreana, Pinzón, Santa Cruz, Santiago islands for a first hand overview of different habitat types, topographical features and urban and rural zones, giving the participants a clearer vision of the challenges to be overcome in an eradication programme. A visit to the habitat of the remnant population of the Santiago Island rice rat provided important insights into how to protect non-target species during any eradication. This rare endemic rat was rediscovered in 1998 when for a century it had been considered extinct.

Bryan Milstead, CDF's Head of Vertebrates said introduced rodents are having strong detrimental effects on biodiversity both in the Galapagos and elsewhere. "We consider these species to be a major threat to the Galapagos and we look forward to working with the Galapagos National Park to develop a state of the art rodent eradication programme that will serve as a model for other island ecosystems worldwide."

CDF would like to thank the UK-based Galapagos Conservation Trust and Lindblad Expedition's Galapagos Conservation Fund for their financial support for the workshop. The workshop was catered by the Colegio Galapagos cooking school, a landmark programme that is training local high school students to work in the food preparation, serving and processing field.