Santa Cruz Island
In the late 1960’s it was necessary to create a program for saving and restoring the giant tortoises populations. Together the National Park Service of Galápagos and the international Charles Darwin Research Station developed an effective program to breed the endangered tortoises in captivity and then repatriate them back to the island of their origin. This morning, we enjoyed a visit to the Darwin Station and had a chance to explore the breeding facilities.
Following a stroll through town, shopping or taking photos, we boarded buses to the highlands for a delicious grilled chicken lunch. Then we embarked on various afternoon outings. It is possible to find lots of giant tortoises in the highlands of Santa Cruz this time of the year. Males are coming down looking for females in order to mate and in this way make sure their unique species will continue on earth. We had ample opportunity for photos of the huge tortoises in their natural habitat.
The giant tortoises are the symbol of the Galápagos Islands, but for many centuries their population has been dramatically decreasing as a result of human activities. Pirates and buccaneers stored them by the dozens in the holds of their ships for food. More recently goats, cattle, donkeys and horses and others introduced species have been clearing many areas of the natural vegetation and affecting the nesting areas of these giant reptiles.
In the late 1960’s it was necessary to create a program for saving and restoring the giant tortoises populations. Together the National Park Service of Galápagos and the international Charles Darwin Research Station developed an effective program to breed the endangered tortoises in captivity and then repatriate them back to the island of their origin. This morning, we enjoyed a visit to the Darwin Station and had a chance to explore the breeding facilities.
Following a stroll through town, shopping or taking photos, we boarded buses to the highlands for a delicious grilled chicken lunch. Then we embarked on various afternoon outings. It is possible to find lots of giant tortoises in the highlands of Santa Cruz this time of the year. Males are coming down looking for females in order to mate and in this way make sure their unique species will continue on earth. We had ample opportunity for photos of the huge tortoises in their natural habitat.
The giant tortoises are the symbol of the Galápagos Islands, but for many centuries their population has been dramatically decreasing as a result of human activities. Pirates and buccaneers stored them by the dozens in the holds of their ships for food. More recently goats, cattle, donkeys and horses and others introduced species have been clearing many areas of the natural vegetation and affecting the nesting areas of these giant reptiles.
