A new survey has found roughly 180,000 giant tortoises on Aldabra Atoll in Seychelles, the world’s largest free-roaming population of the species and a sign that the previously endangered animal is once again thriving. Researchers analyzed five years of counts from 2018 to 2022. Their findings provide the first substantial population update since estimates of around 100,000 tortoises in the late 1990s. The study’s best estimate placed the number of adult and sub-adult tortoises at nearly 183,000, making this the largest recorded population of the species. Exploitation during the 19th century had cut numbers below 1,000. However, conservation efforts, including the designation of Aldabra as a strict nature reserve in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982, drove the rebound. Despite this recovery, researchers warn that climate change, prolonged droughts, rising sea levels, and invasive predators threaten future growth. To ensure that conservation efforts continue to pay off, the researchers recommend continued population monitoring and the removal of invasive mammals.