042. Giant tortoise in the wild (sort of)

This tortoise is relatively young, because the ring-like patterns on the shell are clearly visible. They wear away as the tortoises age.

This was taken on Santa Cruz Island, where tortoises in the wild are easy to see in the highlands. Even though the farms that allow tourists seem a little zoo-like, with a snack bar nearby and tourists wandering around, the tortoises are free to roam since fences must be constructed to allow their passage. They have plenty of food and mud ponds for cooling off. I'm not sure what else a tortoise could want, and the tourist income is important for a poor country like Ecuador.