Turtles and Tortoises

Poisonous frogs, long-necked turtles, bears and chimpanzees may not be everyone's idea of an animal companion, but experts warn that demand for exotic pets is pushing some species closer to extinction.

The body of "Lonesome George," a giant Galapagos tortoise once believed to be the last of its kind, has been sent to New York to be embalmed and then returned home, the Galapagos National Park said Tuesday.

Almost one in five of the world's reptile species are in danger of extinction as their habitats are cleared away for farming and logging, a report said Friday.

A sea turtle that lost her front legs to a shark attack was bidding to match "Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius on Tuesday, as she donned the latest in artificial flipper technology in Japan.

A Mexican conservation group released more than 100,000 sea turtles into the ocean last year, in an effort to save a species threatened by egg poachers and fishing nets.

Breeding season is under way for the endangered tortoises of Ecuador's Galapagos Islands, whose mating and nesting habits are carefully watched by wildlife specialists hoping to save them from extinction.

Breeding season is under way for the endangered tortoises of Ecuador's Galapagos Islands, whose mating and nesting habits are carefully watched by wildlife specialists hoping to save them from extinction.

Conservationists have expressed alarm over the low number of turtles arriving on the coast of east India and Bangladesh for the nesting season, blaming overfishing and climate change for the decline.

Efforts are underway to save the famed giant tortoises of the Galapagos Islands by wiping out the rodents that prey on their eggs and hatchlings, environmentalists here said.

Efforts are underway to save the famed giant tortoises of the Galapagos Islands by wiping out the rodents that prey on their eggs and hatchlings, environmentalists here said.

When Lonesome George, the last Pinta Island giant tortoise, died in June in the Galapagos, the world mourned the demise of a species. It appears, however, that George was not that lonely after all.

On a late August evening, thousands of baby endangered sea turtles flip, flop and somersault down the sands of this protected beach in northern Cyprus as excited onlookers cheer them on.

Scores of endangered reptiles including turtles and a python that were smuggled into Hong Kong will be returned to their native Philippines on Wednesday, officials said.

Philippine authorities rescued 14 protected sea turtles that were caught in a net laid down by Chinese poachers, a navy commander said Saturday.

Hundreds, possibly thousands of turtle eggs and hatchlings have been destroyed on the northern Trinidad coast by government workers who drove their bulldozers over the breeding ground.

Ecuador said it would honor Lonesome George, a giant tortoise that was the last of his kind and died in the Galapagos last month, by listing him as part of the nation's cultural heritage.

The death of Lonesome George came as a shock to the caretakers who had come to know the 100-year-old giant tortoise, the last survivor of a subspecies decimated by pirates more than a century ago.

Lonesome George has died, leaving the world one subspecies poorer.

Lonesome George has died, leaving the world one species poorer.

Lonesome George has died, leaving the world one species poorer.