Puerto Ayora
Today was the “Day of the Tortoise.” How appropriate since the Galápagos Islands were named for these magnificent animals! The Spanish word for tortoise is Galápagos. We began the day landing in Puerto Ayora, the largest city in the Galápagos Islands with a population of 20,000. At the Charles Darwin Research Center we arrived just in time to experience the once-a-week feeding of the Galápagos tortoises. They feverishly devoured (in a tortoise kind of way) the feast of elephant ear leaves, at times defending their meal from a neighbor with aggressive behavior.
The tortoises are part of a captive breeding program to reestablish populations on various islands. We saw dozens of young tortoises (1-3 years-old) grouped by age with numbers on their backs representing their subspecies. Right around the corner is Lonesome George, the last of his subspecies from Pinta Island. Efforts by the research center over the years to find George a mating partner to carry on his bloodline have unfortunately fallen short. It was a privilege to see this legendary figure in the story of these grand and unique creatures.
In the afternoon, we arrived in the highlands just as the skies opened up and drenched us with buckets of liquid sunshine. We donned ponchos and rubber boots and set out to find the elusive Galápagos tortoise in the wild. After sloshing through lush vegetation, searching for migrating tortoises, we were rewarded by an encounter with a large male estimated to be 150 years old. It was a treat to be so close to such a rare animal.
Today was the “Day of the Tortoise.” How appropriate since the Galápagos Islands were named for these magnificent animals! The Spanish word for tortoise is Galápagos. We began the day landing in Puerto Ayora, the largest city in the Galápagos Islands with a population of 20,000. At the Charles Darwin Research Center we arrived just in time to experience the once-a-week feeding of the Galápagos tortoises. They feverishly devoured (in a tortoise kind of way) the feast of elephant ear leaves, at times defending their meal from a neighbor with aggressive behavior.
The tortoises are part of a captive breeding program to reestablish populations on various islands. We saw dozens of young tortoises (1-3 years-old) grouped by age with numbers on their backs representing their subspecies. Right around the corner is Lonesome George, the last of his subspecies from Pinta Island. Efforts by the research center over the years to find George a mating partner to carry on his bloodline have unfortunately fallen short. It was a privilege to see this legendary figure in the story of these grand and unique creatures.
In the afternoon, we arrived in the highlands just as the skies opened up and drenched us with buckets of liquid sunshine. We donned ponchos and rubber boots and set out to find the elusive Galápagos tortoise in the wild. After sloshing through lush vegetation, searching for migrating tortoises, we were rewarded by an encounter with a large male estimated to be 150 years old. It was a treat to be so close to such a rare animal.
