World-renowned turtle and tortoise expert to speak on the threat of tortoise extinction

January 11, 2010

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Leading environmental conservationist Peter Pritchard will give a presentation on the Pinta Island Giant Tortoise extinction threat at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday Jan. 13 in The Reitz Student Union, room 282. The event is sponsored by the University of Florida International Center.

The presentation will include a screening of BBC documentary, “Lonesome George and the Battle for the Galapagos,” in which Pritchard is featured. Lonesome George is the last remaining Pinta Island Giant Tortoise. When he dies, his species will be extinct. He is an icon for his native Galapagos Island and a symbol for the battle to preserve their unique wildlife, which is threatened by illegal fishing.

The screening will be followed by a discussion on global environmental challenges led by Pritchard.

Pritchard is the director of the Chelonian Research Institute in Oviedo, Fla. He was educated at Oxford University and the University of Florida, where he earned his Ph.D. in zoology. He is most known for his almost 40-year campaign for the conservation of turtles. Time magazine named him a “hero of the planet.” He is popular for his work in the Galapagos and Guyana.