In what's being hailed as a triumph for conservation efforts, 70 Mojave desert tortoises have reemerged from brumation in California's Edwards Air Force Base, where they had been reintroduced into the wild. According to a San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance release, these hardened survivors are part of a headstarting program designed to boost the survival odds for young tortoises.

The partnership involving the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, the base itself, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Geological Survey appears to be paying dividends. After six months post-introduction, the tortoises not only woke up from their winter slumber but are thriving, with a new group of hatchlings on the way. "We've worked so hard to get here, and we've been through so much together," Dr. Melissa Merrick of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance told the organization.

These desert dwellers are part of a critical initiative to counter the steep decline in their species' population, which has plummeted by an estimated 90% in the past two decades. The tortoises are brought up for a year or two in captivity, gaining size and strength, making them tougher targets for predators when they are finally released back into their natural environment.

James Danoff-Burg, Ph.D., director of conservation at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, highlighted the stark reality in a statement, "Mortality of juvenile desert tortoises is dramatic, often approaching 100% in areas where ravens are overpopulated due to humans providing them food via their open trash containers." The intervention this project provides is crucial and already showcases promising results.

The success of the project doesn't just hinge on growing bigger tortoises. It's also a race against the clock and elements. A year prior, scientists had the rescue tortoise eggs in the dead of night to escape a fierce heatwave. These challenges underscore the fragility of this species in a rapidly changing climate.