The Galapagos Islands are in the Pacific Ocean, off the western coast of South America They are a rocky, lonely spot, but they are also one of the most unusual places in the world.  One reason is that they are the home of some of the last giant tortoises left on earth. Weighing hundreds of pounds, these tortoises go slowly around the rocks and sand of the islands.  Strangely, each of these islands has its own particular kinds of tortoises.  There are seven different kinds of tortoises on the eight islands, and each kind is slightly different from the other. Hundreds of years ago, thousands of tortoises were around these islands.  However, all that changed when people started landing there.  When people first arrived in 1535, crews would seize as many tortoises as they could. They would roll the tortoises onto their backs when they were brought onto the ships. The tortoises were completely helpless once on their backs, so they could only lie there until used for soups and stews.  Almost 100,000 tortoises were carried off in this way. The tortoises faced other problems, too. Soon after the first ships, settlers arrived, bringing pigs, goats, donkeys, dogs and cats. A11 0f these animals ruined life for the tortoises. Donkeys and goats ate all the plants that the tortoises usually fed on, while the pigs, dogs and cats ate thousands of baby tortoises each year. Within a few years, it was hard to find any tortoise eggs-or even any baby tortoises. Finally, in the 1950s, scientists decided that something must be done. The first part of their plan was to remove as many cats, dogs and other animals as they could from the islands. Next, they tried to make sure that more baby tortoises would be born; This slow, hard work continues today, and, thanks to it, the number of tortoises is now increasing every year. Perhaps these wonderful animals will not disappear after all What happened soon after people brought animals to the islands?
Tortoise eggs were kept in safe containers. The animals ate the tortoises' food and eggs. The tortoises continued to wander freely. The tortoises fought against the other animals.