Lonesome George, last-of-his-kind Galapagos tortoise, dies

QUITO (Reuters) - Lonesome George, the last remaining tortoise of his kind and a conservation icon, died on Sunday of unknown causes, the Galapagos National Park said. He was thought to be about 100 years old.

Lonesome George was found in 1972 and had become a symbol of Ecuador's Galapagos Islands, which attracted some 180,000 visitors last year.

"This morning the park ranger in charge of looking after the tortoises found Lonesome George, his body was motionless," the head of the Galapagos National Park, Edwin Naula, told Reuters. "His life cycle came to an end."

George was believed to be around 100 years old and the last member of a species of giant tortoisefrom La Pinta, one of the smallest islands in the Galapagos, the Galapagos National Park said.

The giant Galapagos tortoises, which can live up to 200 years old, were among the species that helpedCharles Darwin formulate his theory of evolution in the 19th century.

The Galapagos National Park is considering embalming George's body so that it can be displayed in the park, Naula said.

A spokesperson said the park plans to carry out a necropsy to determine what may have killed the tortoise.

Scientists had been trying to get George to mate since 1993, when they introduced two female tortoises of a different subspecies into his pen. They laid eggs twice, but they were infertile.

The pen where George lived was visited by thousands of tourists every year, who often had to scramble with each other to take pictures of one of the rarest creatures on Earth.

The islands often attract celebrities, including Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt earlier this year.

Tortoises were hunted for their meat by sailors and fishermen to the point of extinction, while their habitat has been eaten away by goats introduced from the mainland.

Some 20,000 giant tortoises still live on the Galapagos. (Editing by Sandra Maler)

Source: Yahoo!

Ram Charan Teja-Kamineni Upasana have a grand reception

Actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi's son Ram Charan Teja tied the knot with his long-time girlfriend, Kamineni Upasana, at a lavish wedding ceremony on June 14 morning. The same evening, an extravagant reception was held which saw around 5000 people in attendance.


B-Town biggies, politicians and socialites came to bless the newly-wed 
couple. Rajinikanth, Amitabh Bachchan, Prabhudeva, Rana Daggubati, Prince Mahesh Babu and his wife Namrata, Allu Arjun and his wife Sneha Reddy, Nagarjuna and his wife Amala, Kajal Agrawal, Tabu, Prabhu Deva and others were spotted at the star-stuuded event.

 

While Ram looked handsome in a blue suit, the new bride was clad in a colourful lehenga and heavy jewellery.

There was a lot of chaos due to the long queue waiting to wish the couple. The security was unable to handle the huge crowd and a lot of celebrities had to wait for their turn. Even Prabhu Deva was stuck for almost 15 minutes in the crowd.

However, delicious food at the reception made up for the waiting mess. Menu consisted of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

Teja on honeymoon plans

"Just a four-day break. We're yet to decide where we're going. But it will be somewhere quiet with no traffic or shopping. It has to be in India since I've to return in four days and resume shooting," he said in an interview.

Source: hindustantimes