Business mogul Richard Branson was on a mission to get the number of Galapagos tortoises up in Necker Island- part of the British Virgin Islands owned by Branson’s company, Virgin Group. And he was proud to announce the success of the mission to the world.
In an Instagram post he shared the photo of the newly born animals with the caption, “17 baby red-foot tortoises born on #neckerisland.” Several nature and animal lovers praised Branson for his work with comments such as, “You’re the man Richard,” and, “Wow that’s amazing! How wonderful to witness that [sic].”
Remember Lonesome George, a Galapagos tortoise? Scientists could revive his extinct species https://t.co/yAmtaauyH8 pic.twitter.com/9CHJN8CrwU
— Richard Branson (@richardbranson) December 29, 2015
To his Twitter page the 65-year-old billionaire shared a link, explaining the backstory of how this mission came to be. The article detailed how 2015 had been a great year what with the three grandchildren in his family. Additionally, for “animal babies,” the year has been a fantastic one. A while ago, they had introduced a red-footed tortoise to this island, who happened to be pregnant. Most recently, 17 baby tortoises were given life at Branson’s own house!
Furthermore this development could be major for conservation of wildlife as more of Lonesome George’s relatives have been discovered which could lead to the revival of George’s species. Branson also explained how the numbers had dwindled so rapidly mainly due to human consumption. He also brought to attention other projects he has been working on. They include increasing the number of flamingos as well as white-cheeked pintail ducks in the Moskito Island portion of the British Virgin Islands.
Image Source: Instagram/richardbranson
