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Job done, prolific Galapagos giant tortoise Diego is being released back into the wild after being credited by authorities with almost single-handedly saving his species from extinction.
The 100-year-old tortoise, who was recruited along with 14 other adults for a captive breeding program, will be returned to his native island of Espanola in March, the Galapagos National Parks service (PNG) said Friday.
[...] Diego's contribution to the program on Santa Cruz Island was particularly noteworthy, with park rangers believing him responsible for being the patriarch of at least 40 percent of the 2,000-tortoise population.
Around 50 years ago, there were only two males and 12 females of Diego's species alive on Espanola, and they were too spread out to reproduce.
Diego was brought in from California's San Diego Zoo to join the breeding program which was set up in the mid-1960s to save his species, Chelonoidis hoodensis.
The PNG believes he was taken from the Galapagos in the first half of the 20th century by a scientific expedition.
Now, Diego is returning to his original home "almost eight decades after being extracted," the park service said, adding that he had lived at the San Diego Zoo for several decades.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by julian on Sunday January 12 2020, @04:24AM (5 children)
I know you are making a joke at the expense of the "T" in LGBT, but more broadly: non-heterosexual relations have been observed in dozens of species [wikipedia.org], including some reptiles.
Homophobia and transphobia has only been identified in one species.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 12 2020, @05:30AM
Homophobia and transphobia allowed that species to dominate the planet.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 12 2020, @05:53AM (3 children)
Cannot agree, and here's why: Broadly homophobia will have occurred as any non-universal behaviour in a sapient species will be noted and used as a discriminant. Specifically many species of cetatean exhibit some homosexual activity, and some queerbashing or straightbashing occurs. The most heavily documented (selection bias?) example is straightbashing in dolphins, male on male rape where the recipient hasn't exhibited prior homosexual activity and the rapist has. There will be other cases; we are xenophobes and simply don't know enough about their psychology to understand and see the detailed cases.
Note in the USA, eg., school straight-on-straight violence is by incident count more common than straight-on-queer, though the latter is per capita higher. But if bi were the 90% norm straights would be as othered as gays, and as subject to violence.
Anyways, my point is not that sexual bigotry is good - I certainly don't think so! - but rather that it occurs in nature, not only in our species. Natural is not necessarily good! Humans living at contemporary densities are naturally subject to plague-scale epidemics, etc. So you should stop using that "only identified in us" bit as a point.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Arik on Sunday January 12 2020, @06:23AM
"and some queerbashing or straightbashing occurs."
Like here.
How are ape observers seeing male on male aggression between cetaceans conclusively identify it as queerbashing or straightbashing specifically?
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 12 2020, @07:12PM (1 child)
Where can I read more about Flipper's adventures in buttfucking?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 14 2020, @10:42AM
redtube?
pornhub?
motherless?