Lonesome George was found in 1972 and he quickly became one of the main attractions and a symbol of Ecuador's Galapagos Islands, which attracts almost 180,000 visitors every year from all over the world.
Head of the Galapagos National Park, Edwin Naula, told Reuters, "The Park in charge of looking after the tortoises found Lonesome George, his body was motionless. His life cycle came to an end."
Lonesome George was the last member of a giant tortoise species from one of the smallest islands La Pinta in the Galapagos. The species could live as long as 2,000 years, Galapagos National Park told Reuters.
Thousand of tourist visit the Galapagos National Park just to have a picture with one of the rarest creatures on Earth. There are around 20,000 giant tortoises at present in the Park. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are among those celebrities who visited the Island last year.
Galapagos National Park told Reuters, since 1993, scientists tried a lot of times to get George to mate with the two other breed, but both the times the eggs were infertile.
Head of the Galapagos National Park also said that they are considering embalming George's body so that it can be displayed in the park. The Park authorities are also planning to carry out a necropsy to pinpoint the cause of death.
