I knew what it was. Tortoises pay little attention to humans as they pass through the huts on Aldabra Atoll. I was there to shoot a story about island restoration in the Seychelles, far off the ...

I don’t think Esmeralda minds.“ Esmeralda is one of many Aldabra tortoises living on Bird Island, a coral cay surrounded by white-sand beaches and can’t-quite-believe-it turquoise sea.

Turn a corner to see coconuts fall from the many trees, or you might spot giant Aldabra tortoises roaming around (they have a larger presence than people on the island, with a head count of over 250).