World Scene: Galapagos Islands

Nearly-extinct tortoise mates

Lonesome George, the last remaining giant tortoise of his kind, may soon be a father to the delight of conservationists.

Unhatched eggs have been found in his "bachelor" pen in the Galapagos Islands, his keepers said on Tuesday. For decades, the last known Pinta island tortoise had shown little interest in reproducing. Scientist have been trying to get George, 90, to mate since 1993, when they introduced two female tortoises of a different subspecies into his pen. The Galapagos National Park said the five eggs found on Monday were "in perfect condition" and have been placed in an incubator.