 The tortoise was believed to be extinct in the mid-20th century, until Hungarian malacologist József Vágvölgyi spotted Lonesome George on the Galapagos island of Pinta on 1 December 1971.Since then, Lonesome George has been a powerful symbol for conservation efforts in general and for the Galapagos Islands in particular.With his death on 24 June 2012, the subspecies is again believed to be extinct.