Final signature count: 12,536

12,536 signatures toward our 30,000 goal

As many as 2,000 unique species make their home in the Galápagos Islands. These animals cannot be found anywhere else, and are growing increasingly rare.

Among those animals are several species of giant tortoises, herbivorous reptiles that can weigh around 600 pounds and live up to 120 years¹.

These animals are actually the namesake for all the islands. Galápagos means “tortoise” in Spanish².

Two hundred years ago, researchers estimate as many as 200,000 Galápagos giant tortoises roamed the islands. Due to poaching and other human interference, their populations have plummeted³.

Ecuadorian officials more recently discovered the carcasses of four endangered giant tortoises, slaughtered illegally for their meat⁴.

Less than a year before that, authorities discovered the decaying corpses of 15 other giant tortoises, also murdered for the illegal meat trade⁵.

Fourteen species of giant Galápagos tortoises are currently threatened, with authorities listing them as vulnerable, endangered, critically endangered, and potentially already extinct⁶.

Killing these important creatures has been illegal for 89 years, since 1933. Sadly, that hasn’t stopped people from hunting and butchering these beloved animals for their meat⁷. The illegal wildlife meat trade is running rampant from the Galápagos, to Madagascar, to Southeastern Asia⁸.

Moreover, investigations show that meat of protected turtle species is sold in several markets in India. Such “wet markets” present an acute health hazard and need to be looked into urgently in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic⁹.

We can’t allow the illegal slaughter of tortoises drive these species to extinction and torment the communities of the Galápagos.

Law enforcement services in Ecuador are provided by the national police. The police force is part of the Ministry of Interior. National police and border control have real-time access to INTERPOL databases so they can detect if suspects or travelers are wanted by INTERPOL or traveling on a stolen passport¹⁰.

The United States Embassy and Consulate in Ecuador has also trained 10 new prosecutors; two who have participated in environmental crime management issues and eight in the fight against wildlife trafficking¹¹.

These agencies and prosecutors must focus on working closely together in the coming years if we are to prevent more tortoise species from disappearing forever.

Help us ask Ecuadorian authorities to crack down on the illegal wildlife meat trade by finding and prosecuting the poachers responsible! Sign the petition and take action!