23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Travel
Lonsome George, last of his kind

Lonesome George, the last Pinta Island tortoise, was preserved in a cold chamber - a symbol of both loss and hope. Once the rarest creature on Earth, he now reminds us of the cost of extinction and the power of conservation. His legacy calls us to protect what still can be saved.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 10.2025
Date Uploaded: 11.2025
Photo Location: Ecuador
Camera: NIKON Z 8
Copyright: © Agnieszka Wieczorek