Salt Lake Telegram | 1928-05-07 | Page 3 | 50 Tortoises Brought to U. S. for Experiment

50 T Tortoises Brought to US U.S. For Experiment SAN DIEGO Calif May ay 7 AP With the arrival of fifty specimens sped sped- mens of ot the giant land tortoise from the Galapagos Islands an experIment experiment ment has started that it is stated may turn sections of ot desert lands of western United States into g grasing grazing gras graz In ing grounds for a new f food od supply rho Tho tortoises were brought here hero hereby hereby by Dr Charles H. H Townsend di director director director di- di rector of the New York aquarium who headed the New York zoological cal society's expedition to the Gal Gala Galapagos pages for the purpose of ot getting the tortoises Twenty five of the tortoises are to be left with the society here for tOl gaU gation n. n The other twenty-five twenty ar arto arto aro to be sent to the desert botanical station at Tucson One hundred more of ot the tortoises were captured by the and will be distributed dis dis- dis I to other p parts of the countr coun coun- tr try S Dr Dr Townsend arrived on the liner California Friday bringing his tot toj- toles with him They are all in infants in- in ants tho the largest being about the size of a wash tub The great tortoise of tile the Gala Gala- agos which lie miles west Yest est of f fhe the he Panama canal ranal are gradually approaching extermination and is alre already dy extinct on ten of ot the twelve Islands of that group Dr Dl TownsEnd Townsend Town Town- send said sidd Being an important food animal its domestication atlon is being undertaken on a a. large scale for 01 the tha double purpose of t f it from froni extinction and for its economic econom econom- ic value It is believed that It will serve servo a useful purpose in the desert regions of at our southwestern st states tes This tortoise is primarily a a. cactus cactus cac cac- ts eater but feeds also on grass and vegetables ot or many matiy kinds In captivity it doubles its its' weight annually annually an an- and has reached a a. weight ot of pounds In fifteen years Its former value alue as a a. meat producer producer producer pro pro- ducer has long been ov overlooked