The 185 tortoises in a suitcase in the Galápagos
Ecuador, March 2021
This case is a work of fiction. The characters, names, places and events in the game do not portray real people. The account below is a factual summary, based on public sources, of the case that served as inspiration.
In March 2021, an inspection at Baltra airport, in the Galápagos Islands, found 185 baby giant tortoises wrapped in plastic inside a suitcase bound for the mainland. Ten were already dead. A police officer who worked at the airport was detained on suspicion of involvement.
Galápagos giant tortoises are protected species and a constant target of trafficking for collectors. The case led to arrests and to tighter inspections on the islands.
Sources
In the game
Turtle Island
Research station on Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos, 11:05 pm. The eight giant tortoise eggs of the Floreana lineage have vanished from the incubator.
The game borrows the trafficking of giant tortoises with a public official involved. The eggs, the yacht, the characters and the outcome are fiction.
