The best thing about visiting the Charles Darwin Research Station on the Polaris is that our visit always coincides with feeding time. The giant tortoises, from hatchlings to retired (100+), all indulge in their favorite food during this time: "Elephants Ear"…a large, fleshy leaf that grows in the highlands.
In today's picture, we can see Diego, one of the three male tortoises of the Hood Island subspecies who are involved in a rigorous breeding program with twelve females. Diego was flown in from San Diego Zoo to take part in the program, which has kept him busy for the last thirty years. This parental stock of tortoises has succeeded in rearing over fifteen hundred hatchlings, which are now living and breeding successfully on Hood Island. Diego must be quite pleased with himself! Well, he certainly can't complain!
