So sad, it was only a few months ago that i read about how they were trying to breed him with a closer relative of the species. The objective being to preserve his genetic line, without losing the definitive features of his species in the process. Never thought he would go down so early.
There has to be a Darwin Award out there for the last male tortoise in the world...who also happens to be gay...and infertile. I mean the real Darwin saw them when he was sailing, right?
Bingo! I hope they had the good sense to get alot of his genetic material Rocket River Why Not Clone him?
No joke. It probably doesn't help that they named him Lonesome George. You figure with a name like that he's likely predisposed to being sad.
I used to get upset by this kind of stuff, then I realized that 99% of every species that ever lived has gone extinct, so... it's not quite so traumatic to me anymore.
That's why there is artificial insemination. I'm sure they have his "specimen" locked in a freezer somewhere.
So with the original post ("such a sad situation") and the "Billy Joel or Elton John" thread... I now have "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" by Elton John stuck in my head.
On a serious note. Why shouldn't this be an option of endangered animals on the brink of extinction? Clone enough to breed naturally and then let nature take over from there.
