Some 180 thousand giant turtles live freely on an island in the Indian Ocean, making up the world’s largest population of its kind, according to a new scientific study.
It’s Athallin Aldabra, where a research carried out by the Seychell Islands Foundation and the University of Exeter has estimated that some 183 thousand large, half – grown turtles live.
This number is higher than Seychell’s human population, which is estimated to be some 135 thousand people.
The study was based on analysis of data collected over five years, from 2018 to 2022. Researchers also used statistical methods to calculate turtles that may not have been observed during land count, especially those hidden in dense vegetation.
The results show that the population of these animals has been relatively stable during the analysed period. However, researchers point out that the new figure does not necessarily mean that the number of turtles has doubled compared to previous estimates, as older counting methods may have left many individuals uninvolved.
The restoration of this population is considered an important success in protecting nature. During the 20th century, the overexploitation of turtles had caused their number in Aldabra to drop to fewer than 1,000 individuals.
The protection of the area was strengthened when the atom was declared a strict natural reserve in 1981, while a year later it was included in the list of U’s world heritage NESTO.
Despite positive results, experts warn that turtles continue to face threats, including longer droughts, rising sea level and the presence of invasive animals, such as feral cats and rats, which can harm newborn eggs and turtles.
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Source Layer: Signal