Witness

In 2012, Lonesome George, the last tortoise of his species died.George, from from Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean, was a global symbol of conservation and brought to the attention of the world the reality of extinction.James Gibbs, vice president of science and conservation at the Galapagos Conservancy knew George well. He looked after the tortoise in life, and in death. James says: “You know, moving Lonesome George across the islands by truck, people were asking, what's in the box? I said it's Lonesome George and people were crying and it was just very moving".He tells Gill Kearsley how time ran out for Lonesome George and about the legacy he left.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and m