 Black rats had been eating both tortoise eggs and hatchlings, effectively destroying the future of the tortoise population.Only the longevity of giant tortoises allowed them to survive until The Galápagos National Park, Island Conservation, Charles Darwin Foundation, The Raptor Center, and Bell Laboratories removed invasive rats in 2012.In 2013, heralding an important step in Pinzón tortoise recovery, hatchlings emerged from native Pinzón tortoise nests on the island and the Galápagos National Park successfully returned 118 hatchlings to their native island home.