00:04These are conservationists with the Galapagos National Park in Ecuador.
00:08And these are the giant tortoises they're now releasing into the wild.
00:11But they aren't from the wild.
00:13These tortoises have been bred on Santa Cruz Island and are now being released on La Española Island,
00:18all part of a long-storied conservation program.
00:21Each tortoise went through a litany of testing and treatment prior to release,
00:25including deworming and being microchipped for research purposes.
00:28And these 86 captive-bred turtles are just the first round of the season.
00:32According to the breeders, there are still 250 more that will remain in captivity for just a while longer,
00:38set to also be released when they're ready.
00:40But this is no new project.
00:41This breeding program is one that stretches back half a century.
00:45In fact, the program has bred some 3,000 turtles from just 15 still-living individuals,
00:50something the director of the Galapagos National Park says
00:53has not only built a healthy population of tortoises in the area,
00:56but it's also helping to restore the in-need ecosystem.
00:59Saying about the giant tortoise reintroduction program,
01:01quote,
01:02we are re-establishing the ecological processes that should have always existed
01:05and that were interrupted by the absence of the tortoises for more than a century.
01:11So, let's get started.
01:16Let's get started.
01:16Let's get started.
01:16Let's get started.
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