Conservation
Baby Aldabra giant tortoises bred in captivity at the Rodrigues reserve where they are thriving. © L Steel
The Aldabra giant tortoise’s conservation status is currently 'vulnerable'.
Many giant tortoise species around the world have become extinct due to:
- hunting
- habitat loss
- introduced predatory species such as dogs, rats and pigs that eat tortoise eggs and babies
The Aldabra tortoise almost suffered the same fate, but its plight was recognised just in time, and its bleak Aldabra atoll home is now a World Heritage Site. However, the wild tortoises' Aldabra atoll is now threatened by climate change and rising sea levels - the Aldabra atoll is only a few metres above sea level.
Giant tortoise reserves
Aldabra giant tortoises are also being bred in capativity in reserves on the islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues where they are thriving.
IUCN Conservation status
Vunerable
A taxon is Vulnerable when it is not Critically Endangered or Endangered but is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future.
Find out more about the IUCN criteria for conservation status categories
What can you do to help?
Sponsor a tortoise
For a modest annual subscription, you can sponsor one of the tortoises, give it a name, and receive regular updates on its progress. The author adopted one as a Christmas present for those hard-to-buy-for parents.