Santa Cruz Island
We were all happy and really excited today as we came to this magnificent island, second largest of the group, with beautiful green highlands and a healthy population of the namesake of the archipelago, the giant tortoise.
This is a great day many were waiting for, as Puerto Ayora is not only the largest human settlement in the islands, but also home to the world-famous Charles Darwin Research Center. During our morning on Santa Cruz, we visited the breeding program of the famous reptile, many of which were brought back from the brink of extinction by the hard work of scientists from the station.
We learnt much about the invaluable and incredible work being done by researchers, park rangers, and all the others who are committed to this magical place.
Park wardens find it very rewarding to release baby tortoises to the wild, and come back many months later and find these little creatures doing just fine. Many of the conservation programs in Galapagos would not be possible without all these admirable people who spend their lives putting their energy, time and enthusiasm into restoring many endangered populations of plants and animals.
Just look at the picture for a moment and it may even look unreal for you, to see how relaxed and gentle these giant creatures are. For a couple of precious hours we shared their habitat and observed them while drinking from and feeding around this fresh water pool.
This moment was captured while we were walking through the fields in the farm of a local Galapagueño, in the highlands of Santa Cruz, whose property just happens to be on the migratory route of the giant tortoise. We enjoyed our day so much, that we are keen to see what tomorrow has in store for us!
We were all happy and really excited today as we came to this magnificent island, second largest of the group, with beautiful green highlands and a healthy population of the namesake of the archipelago, the giant tortoise.
This is a great day many were waiting for, as Puerto Ayora is not only the largest human settlement in the islands, but also home to the world-famous Charles Darwin Research Center. During our morning on Santa Cruz, we visited the breeding program of the famous reptile, many of which were brought back from the brink of extinction by the hard work of scientists from the station.
We learnt much about the invaluable and incredible work being done by researchers, park rangers, and all the others who are committed to this magical place.
Park wardens find it very rewarding to release baby tortoises to the wild, and come back many months later and find these little creatures doing just fine. Many of the conservation programs in Galapagos would not be possible without all these admirable people who spend their lives putting their energy, time and enthusiasm into restoring many endangered populations of plants and animals.
Just look at the picture for a moment and it may even look unreal for you, to see how relaxed and gentle these giant creatures are. For a couple of precious hours we shared their habitat and observed them while drinking from and feeding around this fresh water pool.
This moment was captured while we were walking through the fields in the farm of a local Galapagueño, in the highlands of Santa Cruz, whose property just happens to be on the migratory route of the giant tortoise. We enjoyed our day so much, that we are keen to see what tomorrow has in store for us!
