All language subtitles for Extinct or Alive S02E01 The Galapagos Giant

As a boy growing up in Zimbabwe, my
first swim was in the Zambezi River,

where deadly crocodiles, hippos, and
snakes were as common as cats and dogs.

But like most kids, I dreamed of what
was beyond my reach.

The remote islands in the sea.

Like some enormous, ancient dinosaur
boulders baking in the tropical sun.

I dreamed of seeing the giant tortoises
of the Galapagos Islands.

Oh my God!

Every single year, as many as 2 ,000
species are deemed extinct worldwide.

But the process we use to declare an
animal extinct is an inexact science.

It happens all the time.

Animals are rediscovered that were
thought to be gone forever.

My grandfather discovered a coelacanth
66 million years after it was supposed

be extinct.

I'm Forrest Galante. I'm a wildlife
biologist, and my life work is searching

animals that we've given up on.

On this expedition, I'm living my dream,
traveling to the most remote of the

Galapagos Islands in the footsteps of
Charles Darwin himself.

to hike a live volcano in search of the
Fernandina tortoise, an animal that was

only seen once over a hundred years ago.

Mysterious signs have been reported, but
searching for it will mean hiking for

miles through the hottest, most
difficult terrain on the planet.

The clues are piling up, as this
forbidden island continues to reveal

Will we make the scientific discovery
for the agent?

Look at this.

This is Extinct or Alive.

The Fernandina Tortoise.

This is the Galapagos, an archipelago of
nearly 20 volcanic islands

sitting right on the equator.

My childhood home, Africa, is often
referred to as the cradle of life.

These islands are the cradle of our
understanding of it, with endless unique

species that exist nowhere else on
Earth.

I've been here for 30 seconds, and I've
already seen Sally Lightfoot crabs,

marine iguanas, Galapagos.

sea lions, there's frigates and boobies
in the air, there's fish below us. I

mean, the place is just teeming with
wildlife.

It was 1835 when Charles Darwin famously
explored these islands, discovering

bird and tortoise species that were
unique to each.

Since these land masses are volcanic,
they emerge from the sea rather than

splitting off from larger masses.

That meant each species evolved
independently.

And this discovery formed the basis for
Darwin's theory of evolution, the

foundation of wildlife biology.

The word Galapagos means turtle in old
Spanish.

This whole island is based around sea
turtles and tortoises and our

understanding of their behavior.

Turtles are aquatic animals, allowing
them to travel great distances.

Tortoises only live on land, which is
why so many unique species have evolved

independently.

In fact, 15 different species of
Galapagos tortoises have been

only 11 are believed to remain.

But my mission is to prove the
Fernandina tortoise still lives.

Our path to Fernandina starts here, in
Santa Cruz.

The flora and fauna of this island are
natural treasure.

And like any treasure, it's protected.

Just the process of visiting this
incredible island is remarkable.

From solar -powered airports to chemical
sprays to sniffer dogs for live things

and seeds, there's so much going on to
keep the restoration of this place and

the ecology as pristine as it is.

The tortoises of the Galapagos are the
world's largest.

weighing nearly half a ton at full size.

These hulking vertebrates live well over
100 years, and their giant shells

aren't just for protection.

They harness the heat of the sun.

A couple hours of basking can store
enough energy for eight or nine hours of

foraging for grasses, leaves, and cacti.

The Fernandina tortoise is named for the
island it comes from.

Its shell has a unique saddleback shape,
with a lip at the front and the back.

It's been labeled extinct, but clues
have been seen on the island that defy

explanation.

clues that my friend and local biologist
Kale has been discussing for years.

I've come because I'm looking for the
Fernandina tortoise. Yeah. Because in

1964, a scientist named Ross Keister got
photographic evidence of bite marks in

a cactus too high up to be from an
iguana, as well as species which are

definitely from a tortoise on
Fernandina. Prior to this, the only

tortoise on record was found by a
scientific expedition in 1906.

But more clues have been popping up in
recent years.

A park ranger in 2014 found tortoise
droppings and a tortoise

bite mark on a cactus.

One that was alive in 2014 could
definitely still be alive today. They

very long lifespan.

It's amazing.

It makes sense now why we got this
permit and why the national parks are

supporting us so much is because they
believe that there's a good chance that

the animal could be there.

jewel of the crown of Galapagos. Sure.
My idol as a biologist is Charles

And to think, outside of Charles Darwin,
only a handful of local rangers have

ever stepped foot on Fernandina. But
then it's one of the hardest terrains in

the world for working, you know? You are
walking over lava flows, and I don't

know how many times you've been
searching species in an active volcano.

Zero times.

Acquiring the permits to access this
island was complicated, since they are

fiercely scrutinized and rarely granted.
But tomorrow morning, we're stepping

onto a forbidden island.

on the expedition I've been waiting a
lifetime for. We're just cruising around

the southernmost tip of Isabela Island
now, one of the largest islands in the

Galapagos with five active volcanoes on
it. And as we cruise, there's just life

everywhere. There's sea lions, sea
turtles, there's blue -footed boobies

cormorants and penguins. I mean,
everything is out here.

The fact that nobody goes there, the
fact that people don't step foot there

much as even once a year, holds out hope
that the animal could be hiding out.

Almost every biological expedition
through the area has given a clue of the

existence of this animal.

If we didn't have the support of the
national parks, we wouldn't be able to

either. And as we finally close in, the
reality of embarking on an adventure

on a live volcano is starting to sink
in.

This place has been described as hell on
earth, and you look out at it.

It's like something from out of this
world. These big poxmarked landscapes

these volcanic craters and these light
patches of green and dark black patches

of rock.

To think that anything can live there is
almost beyond comprehension.

Of all the challenges I've ever done,
this may in fact be the most difficult

one.

Coming up... Dude, this is insane.

Look at that!

Look at the size of that!

And later...

Just spotting Fernandina poking through
the clouds on the horizon.

Seeing this island appear out of the
mist. It looks like King Kong lives

and perhaps the King Kong of tortoises
does.

We're not just looking for an extinct
animal, but one that was only seen once,

over a hundred years ago.

Finding the Fernandina tortoise would
mean discovering a missing link in the

evolution of tortoises, and allow us to
secure funding to essentially bring the

species back.

Recent clues suggest there's a chance
it's still here.

We just arrived at Fernandina, and
that's the Queen Mabel, our home on the

for the next few days.

Hola, amigos.

Welcome to Fernandina Island.

Gracias.

Thank you, my friend.

Washington, nice to meet you. Nice to
meet you, too. Jeffrey.

Jeffrey Malaga and Washington Tapia are
rangers and scientists here in the

Galapagos.

These two spotted suspicious tortoise
scat in 2009 and 2014, and they've used

their connections to help us gain access
to this forbidden island.

When we first wanted to come to
Fernandina, it looked like it was

because no one's allowed to go to
Fernandina.

But it's thanks to you guys we've been
granted the permission to go and

conduct the survey.

We are waiting for this opportunity for
a long time, and I hope really we can

find some fantasticus animal.

The rangers refer to the Fernandina
tortoise as fantasticus, which

from Latin means imaginary.

Gives you an idea of how this animal
carries an almost mystical reputation on

these islands.

So both of you believe that the
fantasticus is still there? Yes,

And what kind of population do you think
could still be there? I think very few

animals. Maybe not fantasticus, but
really I hope these are fantasticus.

We've got a pretty big hike ahead of us
tomorrow, right?

The plan is to work more or less five or
six kilometers

crossing the lava flows in order to get
the forest. And so

we'll just cover as much ground as we
can for the remainder of the week?

Start early in the morning and work
until 11.

When the tortoise is looking for shade.

So like us, in the midday sun, the
tortoises, they're just hiding.

Basically don't move because they are
reptiles. Right.

As the sun rises, I pull the team
together before we head out on the

our lives.

All right, guys, it's going to be a
pretty crazy few days.

That's a hell of a volcano to get up to
find a pink tortoise. I hope you're

ready.

We're just pulling up to the beach for
the first time. There's fur seals,

there's penguins on the rocks, there's
three nesting turtles. I mean, this

is just full of life.

But due to tight restrictions in our
permit, my producer and some of the crew

will have to remain on the boat.

All right, boys, here we go.

Ready?

Do this.

As soon as my feet hit the volcanic
rock, I'm completely mesmerized by this

display of untouched nature.

There's just wildlife everywhere, from
the Sally Lightfoot crabs, Galapagos sea

lions, and most excitingly for me, this
colony of marine

iguanas.

They look like little godzillas with
those spikes on their back.

Now these are the world's only...

saltwater -dwelling lizards. These guys
will actually sunbathe up here in the

hot sun, warm up, and then dive into the
cool ocean, graze on algae, and as soon

as they start feeling chilly or slow,
they climb back up on the rocks to

all of this warmth.

See how they appear to be sneezing? What
that is is excreting saltwater. Because

these animals spend so much time in the
ocean, they actually ingest tons of

salt, far more than their bodies can
tolerate.

So in order to get rid of that salt,
they sneeze it out of their nostrils,

that mucus is a highly concentrated
saline solution which keeps their bodies

neutral pH.

These crabs scurrying everywhere are
called Sally Lightfoot.

They've been here since Charles Darwin
first landed, and he collected some for

study.

They really are light on their feet,
moving in any direction with incredible

speed and grace.

The body and legs are flat, allowing
them to squeeze between rocks, feeding

mostly on algae.

Plus, they've developed a symbiotic
relationship with the iguanas by eating

ticks off their scaly back.

All right, but we've got to keep going.

Washington, Jeffrey, and my crew came
ashore on one of the few areas this

island would allow.

And unfortunately, it's a long way from
the mountain where I suspect the

Fernandina tortoise still lives.

Hidden from civilization in those little
pockets of green.

So, we are trekking up the mountain in
massive lava fields in 110

degree heat to search for and extinct
tortoise that hasn't been seen in

112 years.

We're doing it with an insanely heavy
backpack, tons of scientific equipment,

and a winning attitude.

I'm living my dream of hiking the
Galapagos Islands, searching for the

to be extinct Fernandina tortoise, which
I suspect may be surviving somewhere up

on the active volcano which forms this
island.

I'm nearing a coastline that was too
rocky for our boat, but if I'm hearing

I think I am, it's about to get stupid
cute.

These babies are so cute!

These are baby Galapagos fur seals.

And actually, contrary to their name,
they're not a seal. They're a true sea

lion, but they were named fur seals
based on their coat.

But look at their ridiculously adorable
eyes. They're so cute, they're almost

sad. These animals have absolutely no
fear of human beings.

They have no predators on land. So over
generational time, they have lost the

instinct to run away from things. So
here they sit. This one's going back to

sleep. That one's going over to suckle
for mama.

Look at this guy coming out of the cave.
Look at his face.

I don't want to touch him. You know, I
don't want to, by any chance, give him

anything that I could be carrying.

The same lack of fear led to the death
of hundreds of thousands of giant

tortoises.

Pirates and whalers in the 16th and 17th
centuries scooped them up in droves

once they realized they could keep them
alive on their ships to provide fresh

meat whenever it was needed.

Six different giant tortoise species are
now extinct, but thankfully these

islands are now heavily protected, which
is why this expedition was such a hard

-won opportunity with a short and
difficult time frame.

So it's back to our hike.

So we've just come out of the lava rock
field, and we found an area now with

some sand.

So what we're going to do is actually
build camp here.

There's nowhere with shade on the
island, so this is as good as it's going

get. Pick a nice soft spot like this,
and then make this base camp and hike

here up into the higher up greenery
where the food sources for a tortoise

be. So we'll start building camp right
away, and we'll keep heading up the

mountain.

Our plan is to follow Jeffrey's lead,
since he found the last evidence of a

tortoise here.

Jeffrey, you remember the spot where you
saw the feces? And that was what, five

years ago?

Four years ago.

Yeah, I think that sounds like a good
place to start.

And after maybe to do two grooves, one
go to the left and one go to the right.

Cover more ground, put more feet down.
Yeah. Let's go.

I'm eager to get moving, since we have
plenty of sunlight left, and Jeffrey

tells us it won't take long to get back
to his spot.

He compared the cut here with the iguana
cut.

It's different.

There's iguana, very clear. Small and
straight and not round.

What happened to that sample?

Don't collect because his work at that
moment was only collect plants and don't

have permit.

All right, well, there's obviously no
feces here now, so maybe what we should

is spread out and just cover a bunch of
different ground and we can stay in

touch on our walkie -talkies.

Yeah.

I'm heading east from the site while
Washington and Jeffrey head west.

With so much terrain to cover and few
clues to go on, Who knows how long we'll

be out here.

Tell me again.

Washington, what have you found?

Footprint.

Footprint, maybe, or something.

Guys, guys, come. They've just found
footprints.

If Washington and Jeffrey say they've
found something, I believe it.

Down there.

Climb down.

What'd you see?

Yeah, you can see this trail.

Looks like tortoise because there are
two.

I don't know if you guys can get a shot
of this, but what you see here, you see

front foot, hind foot, front foot, hind
foot, front foot, hind foot. And it's

got the perfect spacing for an animal
about that wide. And it looks like in

drainage.

There's standing water right there.
Yeah, this is the first pool of standing

water we've seen on the entire island.
And of course, there's a set of tracks

leading right up to it. Day one and you
found some tracks. That's pretty good,

my friend.

There's only one tortoise native to this
island.

And it's our Fernandina tortoise.

Right here could have been an extinct
tortoise. And this could be three days

old, three weeks old. It's really hard
to say. But it's not so old because any

big rain would wash this out completely.

To think it's hour four of the survey on
the ground here and we've already found

tracks is pretty exciting. And to have
the tortoise biologists, professionals

who work with tortoises all day and all
night say these are tortoise tracks,

it's got the heart really racing. So
we're just going to keep going, keep

tracking along the ravine and see what
we see.

The tracks Jeffrey and Washington found
give us hope.

But to find a live specimen, we need to
look where it's going, not where it's

already been.

The best way to do that is to find what
it eats.

So this is the first cactus that I've
seen, and it's the wrong kind. It's an

endemic species to the Galapagos, but
we're looking for a puntia, the prickly

pear cactus.

Bite marks on the prickly pear are one
of the clues that led to our search.

Seeing healthy vegetation like this is a
great sign, but I need to get up higher

to scan for the right food source.

Wow, what?

barren island this is.

Let's just see if there are any big
green patches at all out here.

There's a nice dense patch of greenery.

That is the most dense bit of green
we've seen.

There's one right there.

That's a prickly pear.

Can you drop down on it a little more?
It is a prickly pear, right?

Looks like it. Looks like it's kind of
not very tall, but it's got a lot of

branching out.

Go down. Go down more.

That's prickly pear.

That's what we want. Can you mark that?

You can bring it in, Johnny.

That's where we have to go next. There's
a long hike.

On an active volcano, green equals life.

The prickly pear is a great sign, and
I'm finding more signs of life myself.

Look at this stunning large female land
iguana.

This is the closest relative of the
marine iguana, but unlike the cousins

live way back down there on the coast,
these guys will never enter into salt

water. They rely entirely on the
moisture and the vegetation around here.

If there's enough vegetation to keep
iguanas like her alive, it's likely

enough for a tortoise.

Beautiful, beautiful animal. Thank you,
sweetheart.

Ah, so cool.

With little daylight left... Washington
and Jeffrey are leading the crew back to

camp for the night.

But I'm continuing solo.

I can't bring myself to head back before
reaching the cactus we located on the

drone.

Take a look at this. These right here
are cactus fruit. Not only do tortoises

like them, I can get one off without
getting too prickered, but these

are absolutely delicious.

Not only does it give me a little bit of
sugar energy, but it gives me much

-needed moisture. Look at all the
moisture that comes out of that.

See that?

Oh, yeah, that's beautiful.

Unfortunately, I don't see any bite
marks from any tortoises, but there'll

few bite marks from me now.

I'm going to need that little
refreshment for my nearly four -hour

camp.

The heat coming off this island is
indescribable, and Fernandina isn't just

active volcano.

It's the most active volcano in the
Galapagos, with at least 24 known major

eruptions, including one just last year.

Let's hope she stays nice and calm
during our visit.

This is insane.

Are you rolling? Yeah.

With cameras down, I've caught up to
Washington and Jeffrey hiking back.

And maybe...

Just made a discovery.

Tortuga, no?

This

is

insane.

Um, are you rolling? Yeah.

We're on Fernandina Island in the
Galapagos.

standing on an active volcano, where I'm
searching for an extinct giant

tortoise. And while hiking back to camp
for the night, I believe I may have made

a discovery.

Look.

Tortuga, no?

Yeah.

I mean, a piece this old, it could even
be a sea turtle.

No. No, it doesn't. It looks like a
tortoise, doesn't it?

It can take thousands of years for a
shell to fully fossilize.

But no other giant tortoise ever lived
here.

So this is most certainly from the
Fernandina tortoise.

Forrest from Mitch. Forrest from Mitch.

Yeah, go ahead.

Dude, we just found a tortoise fossil on
the island.

Found a what?

We're just walking along in this
rainstorm. We're probably three hours

camp. And I'm kind of picking up random
rocks and kicking dirt over. And I pick

up something and I realize it's got
ridges on it. And turns out it's a

fossilized piece of tortoise shell.

What part of the tortoise is it from?

The shell?

It's shell, yeah. It's from the
plasteron.

While the upper part of the shell is
called the carapace, this fossil is

from the underside, otherwise known as
the plasteron.

This is only the second ever piece of
evidence of a tortoise coming off of

Fernandina, and the first one in 112
years. So this is a huge scientific

accomplishment to actually confirm the
existence of tortoises on this island.

You're excited, right, Washington?

Absolutely.

This is huge, scientifically. We marked
the area.

Washington and Jeffrey were super
excited. Do you want me to give you a

Fortunately, these guys can get a carbon
data. We can find out how old it is.

You know, it doesn't really motivate the
fact that there could be a live one,

but what it does do is confirm that
there were tortoises here at one time.

I finally reached camp for a couple
hours of sleep.

And I'm up again at sunrise to plot our
next move.

I'm scaling the highest point in the
vicinity to see where the most likely

sources are.

Now that we've made it 1 ,400 feet or so
up from sea level, I've spotted a

really dense green patch.

That's the highest concentration of
green vegetation that I've seen on this

island. If there's anywhere there's
going to be a tortoise, it's down there.

Vegetation that thick provides both a
food source...

and natural shielding from detection.

It's why airplanes and helicopters can't
spot tortoises from the air.

It's also a long, brutal hike. I'm
looking at seven hours at least in

heat.

So we've just dropped down now into the
greenery and vegetation.

And for the first time on this island,
it feels like we're in a habitat that

could actually support a tortoise.
There's trees, there's shrubbery,

moisture on the ground. I mean, this is
actually ideal habitat for a tortoise.

Oh, look at this. Look at this.

This is tortoise scat right here.

This is genetic proof that there's a
tortoise on this island.

Oh, there's more up here. Look up here.

Oh, my God. See how this bush is all
flattened? An iguana couldn't do that.

That's from a big tortoise shell
flattening all of this vegetation out

pushing over here.

Look at that. Look at the size of that.
There's only one animal on this entire

island that could do a dropping like
that. It's bigger than my hand.

That right there.

This. This is 100 % genetic proof that
the animal is still alive. This is a

scientific accomplishment to find this.

Unbelievable.

Watcho, watcho, watcho, do you copy?

I've found excrementia, scat, and big
scratch marks from a tortoise here in

green area.

It's such an honor sharing this
experience with two of the world's

experts on giant tortoises.

And maybe the only other people on earth
as excited as I am about poop.

Look, my friend.

Wow. Look at that right there, right
there by your feet.

This is tortoise, absolutely. 100 %
confirmation of tortoise. And I think

was in the highland and come here
because it's completely grass. All the

grasses. Yeah. But that's proof.

100 % confirmation.

Absolutely. No bite.

So what Jeffrey is explaining here is
tortoises don't chew their food. They

take a bite and swallow.

Whereas iguanas, everything else, chew
their food. And you can see all of this

grass is intact.

So it's undeniable, 100 % proof of
tortoises here on Fernandina.

That's not very old.

No.

This gap needs to be collected and
studied.

But it also means there's a live
tortoise nearby.

There's a tortoise around here now.

I think so. What I'm going to do is take
a sample.

I know without any doubt that this is
the proof that we've been looking for.

There are indeed tortoises here on
Fernandina.

In the center is fresh, wet material,
and that material, uncontaminated, will

contain DNA.

This right here is undeniably the most
important, most beautiful poop I've ever

found. This is incredible.

If it's recent enough and we find any
other sign, I may be able to track it.

We can't even continue on one thing.
They've just found a tortoise bed right

over here. I mean, there's proof in
every direction.

This is a tortoise bedding area. He's
dug down to cool off into this muddy

You can see there's footprints right
here.

You can still see it's wet. I mean, it's
here.

There are tortoises here on Fernandina.

Holy!

Wow! The tortoise is right here! Why?

Look at this!

Oh my God!

We found her!

We found her!

After 112 years!

Wow! I can't imagine what she's
thinking.

Since we are the first humans she has
ever seen.

Oh, me too. I want to give her a kiss.

It's a very old female.

I'm in the Galapagos Islands, living out
a childhood dream of studying

tortoises. And we've just found what
nobody believed we could.

The greatest Galapagos discovery in over
100 years.

A live specimen of the previously
extinct Fernandina tortoise.

But you can see she's saddlebacked in
shape. Yes. She lives at lower

There's less to eat here, so it makes
sense that she's smaller.

You can see this plate, and you compare
with the pictures of the male in the

cast. It's the same form. Exactly. This
very unique ridging, the pinch at the

hind, the pinch at the front. Completely
unique tortoise. No other species on

Earth has this shell shape. Absolutely.

Oh, my God.

What just happened is beyond words,
beyond comprehension.

It is undeniably the largest discovery
for turtles and tortoises in, well,

probably 112 years since the one and
only Fernandina specimen was collected.

I'm beyond words, honestly. The emotions
that I'm feeling, the amount of

excitement, the fact that it's a
tortoise, and turtles and tortoises are

my favorite animals in the world.

It's hard to actually articulate how
exciting this is, but this right here is

Fernandina Island tortoise.

So now what we're doing is bringing our
fantastic specimen into a nice cool

area, and Washington, Jeffrey, and
myself are going to conduct all the

science.

Funny to think that just two hours ago I
collected this piece of scat and

thought this was the most incredible
scientific finding.

Basically of my life, and now, sitting
here, is the most important find of my

life. So, you want to do measurements
first?

Yeah. I've sent half the crew down the
mountain to get the boat ready to

transport this incredible tortoise.

But before we carry her down, we're
quickly collecting measurements and even

taking a small blood sample.

It's the only animal of its kind in
existence, so to have the genetic

is hugely important.

Yeah. Now what we're doing is putting a
pit tag in the animal.

Tortoise barely feels it.

Tag's inserted.

Activated. And she's done.

And just like that, the first scientific
data on Chelonia fantasticus has been

completed. So the emotional wildlife
lover in me.

wants to leave her here. She's lived
here for 120 years, and this is her

But the scientist in me, the
conservationist, the person that knows

for the species, knows that she has to
be taken to a facility.

What that will do is secure millions of
dollars in funding to send return

efforts to find a male, compatible male
that she can breed with and bring the

species population way up. So it's the
right thing to do.

Let's go to the coast. Take her back to
the boat. Yes. So now what the porters

and I in Washington are doing is we're
basically building a tortoise stretcher.

As rudimentary and crude as this may
seem, this is actually the preferred

for moving tortoises.

Puts no stress on them. It doesn't make
them go upside down or backwards.

Instead, what it does is let them stay
horizontal and just stay out in the air

while being carried.

It is hugely important to have her
breeding, not just here, but on a

island, because this is the most active
volcano in the Galapagos. At any time,

the volcano could erupt, a single sweep
of lava could cover this, and there'd be

no more animals in this singular
population.

So, by taking her out of here, putting
her in a breeding facility in Santa Cruz

where she can be monitored and
regulated, no poaching can occur,

breeding can occur, and 20 or 30 years
from now when she's had several hundred

offspring, they can be put right back
here and let the population continue to

expand.

Off we go towards the beach.

Forrest is very much a turtle, tortoise
guy. He loves turtles and tortoises. He

has, I don't know, how many dozen at his
house.

Mitch, so we're going to go to the area
that they're at.

We've got to get the drone out to look
for them so we know where. To try to

them. To find a place on this shore.
Yeah.

Copy.

This discovery means everyone on the
team shifts into a new role.

I've made contact.

Now we just need a good spot on the
shore to make the transfer.

We're getting picked up in the
inflatable dinghy.

which will then take our Fernandina
tortoise to our boat for safe travel.

We've made it. This is the most precious
cargo I've ever hiked. And we just

hiked through all the way down this
mountain out of a volcano.

Look at the way these waves are crashing
against the rock.

This is looking very risky for my crew,
as I once again ask them to put danger

aside in order to try and save an
extinct species.

It looks like it's going to be hairy
getting on the boat.

Due to these conditions, this transfer
must happen very quickly, and no one has

any room for error.

I've just

made

the discovery of my life.

We found the Fernandina tortoise, last
seen 113 years ago, here

on an active volcano in the Galapagos
Islands.

Now we're attempting to take her off
-island to a safe facility that can

preserve and repopulate the species.

This is her first time leaving the
island, and as hard as it is for me to

moving her, the role she'll play in the
conservation of her species is

monumental.

This is a big boat ride for her, and for
all of us. And over, and over, and

down. Next level, next level.

An extinct animal on the boat.

How you feeling, buddy?

Exhausted, emotional, happy.

slightly sad for bringing her out of the
wild, but way more joyous for knowing

that we potentially could save the
species.

She's the rarest animal on Earth, one of
a kind, and we've named her Fern after

her home.

Shortly after dawn, Fern is on the last
leg of her journey to the breeding

center. We're on our way there now. The
plan is she has an isolated home where

she will be kept in quarantine.

She'll be fed and fattened up.

The thing is, Fern is very underweight
currently.

What's amazing about tortoise
reproduction is if she's had a male

last 15 or so years, she may actually
have the ability to hold viable sperm

within her, and when she fattens up and
is not stressed environmentally, she

could actually produce fertile eggs that
would hatch into baby Fernandina Island

tortoises.

We've arranged for a national parks boat
to take us to shore.

Once there, she's just a short drive
away from the Fausto Lorena breeding

center. All right.

Here we go.

This is her pen?

Yeah. Okay.

Just right here? Yeah. Lots of space.

Fantastic. Fantastic.

Good job, my friend.

Well done.

Well done, Wacho. Well done.

And this is it. She's in her new home.
Everybody's studying her. Everybody's

fascinated. This is the rarest animal on
Earth.

There's one known individual in
existence, and she's sitting right here,

healthy, safe, protected, and taken care
of by all of these great national parks

people. Soon there will be a return
expedition to look for a male. She'll be

genetically tested to see if she has
fertile sperm within her.

Everything is lining up for the ongoing
existence of this animal. It's the

greatest accomplishment of my scientific
life. It's the most fantastic thing

that I've ever been a part of, and I
couldn't be happier.

It's a dream come true.