A breeding programme aimed at returning giant tortoises to Galapagos appears to have been successful. The species was on the brink of extinction but after being reintroduced to Española, the southernmost island there is now a population of more than 1,500. Numbers of the tortoise dropped to a population of just 15 in the 1970s. Since then hatchlings have been reintroduced to the wild and a recent expedition has shown recently hatched tortoises and adults born on the island.