100-year-old Diego, one of the 14 male tortoises selected to be part of a breeding programme on Santa Cruz Island and has fathered close to 800 tortoises will now be returning back to his native land after helping to preserve his species.
Diego was taken away from his homeland over 80 years ago by a scientific expedition to the San Diego zoo in California and will now be returning back to his roots which is now home to at least 1,800 tortoises, some of which he helped procreate.
It is believed that Diego was able to father that many tortoises due to his vibrant libido.
About 50 years back, only 14 tortoises existed in Espanola. The Galapagos Island has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site well known for its vibrant biodiversity including plants and wildlife.