With the captive populations of the Aldabra giant tortoises, the quality of their enclosures, diets and general well being will be observed with advice given on how to make improvements when necessary.
All Aldabra giant tortoises ((Aldabrachelys gigantea) in the Aldabra Atoll of the Seychelles will be counted, microchipped and registered as part of an agreement to “reinforce the relations between the two organisations, assist each other in research and the preservation of Aldabra giant tortoises, obtain funding, and where necessary protect the giant tortoises,” The Seychelles Department of Environment and the conservation organisation, the Indian Ocean Tortoise Alliance (IOTA) said in a joint statement released to the media.
The census officially launched April 28, 2023 and will take about a year to complete. Each tortoise will be measured, microchipped, weighed and sexed. GPS location data of each individual tortoise will be recorded to help determine distribution of the reptiles across the country. In addition, with the captive populations, the quality of their enclosures, diets and general well being will be observed with advice given on how to make improvements when necessary.
“This is a defining moment for the Aldabra Giant Tortoise. Working with the Ministry of Environment, we’ll finally come closer to understanding the current situation of the tortoise population overall and asses their [IUCN] Red List status, which provides them high levels of protection,” Rich Baxter, Project Director, Indian Ocean Tortoise Alliance said. “The captive tortoise population is growing, with less space for these giants to roam, so we will work together with local partners to develop a national action plan to manage the population.”
An Aldabra giant tortoise being measured. Photo by Indian Ocean Tortoise Alliance
“Working with the Ministry of Environment, we aim to promote the Aldabra giant tortoise as an icon of successful wildlife conservation, and continue to develop tortoise rewilding and restoration projects in the region.”
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It is hoped that the census will create a record of all the Aldabra giant tortoises in the Seychelles, private residences, public establishments and on private islands. Keepers of these reptiles have been asked to register their pet tortoises with the Ministry of Environment to help with data collection, the statement said. They noted that most tortoises on the larger populated islands are in captivity while the the more remote islands have wild, free-roaming tortoises.
Aldabra Giant Tortoise Information
Aldabra giant tortoises are so named because of where they are found in the wild, the Aldabran Atoll off the coast of the Seychelles. The giant tortoises can weigh up to 500 pounds, making them one of the biggest tortoises in the world. The Galapagos tortoise is bigger. Mostly herbivores, the Aldabra tortoise feeds on grasses, leaves, plants, stems and weeds.
The tortoises were once found on most of the islands in the Indian Ocean. They were hunted for their meat and disappeared from Madagascar, Mauritius and Reunion islands until 1900, when Charles Darwin offered to pay half the atoll’s lease to anyone who could ensure that the exploitation of the reptile was stopped. Aldabra Island has been managed by the Seychelles Islands Foundation since 1981 as a special reserve. It has been completely protected under the Seychelles National Parks and Nature Conservancy Act, and the giant tortoises have been monitored every month for the past 20 years.
