Charles Darwin Research Center and Lonesome George

In 1959, 100 years after the publication of The Origin of Species, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) provided the initial funding for the Charles Darwin Research Station on the Galapagos island of Santa Cruz.   The Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS) established the Tortoise Breeding Center in 1965.  Initially the Galapagos National Park Directorate ran the center with the CDRS.  In 1998, the Galapagos National Park Directorate assumed full responsibilities.  

The Fausto Llerena Breeding Center gets its name from long-time dedicated employee, Fausto Llerena Sánchez, who was the primary caretaker for world-famous tortoise Lonesome George, the last Pinta Island giant tortoise. 

Llerena cared for George for 30 years, until the tortoise died at the age of one hundred in June, 2012.  Llerena’s descriptions of his interaction with George ring true to anyone who has ever bonded with an animal or had a pet.  Lonesome George would approach his caretaker and stretch his neck as if reaching for him.  If Llerena patted his head, George would extend his neck further.  (info from https://tinyurl.com/mongabay-com-George-Llerejna)

For more information, visit 

https://inhabitat.com/rip-lonesome-george-worlds-last-pinta-giant-tortoise-dies/lonesome-george-1

In his early days, Lonesome George would have looked like one of this little guys.

To add a little more perspective to George’s longevity…You may remember that, early in this series, I described how the Galapagos form over a volcanic hot spot where constantly moving tectonic plates,  like a giant conveyor belt, carry the  island away from its point of origin.  The islands move about one to two inches a year.  In George’s lifetime, his island home moved about thirteen feet.

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Next:  More on the Galapagos breeding program ad th the Charles Darwin Research Station.