The Galapagos National Park staff
and Charles Darwin Research Station staff incubate and hatch giant tortoise eggs at
the center to protect them from predators that were not native to
the islands. Generally, the tortoises
remain in the breeding center until they are a few years old, when they can return
to and live safely in their home islands.
How effective is this
breeding program? Before 1970 there were
fewer than two dozen giant tortoises on Espanola. Staff brought all the island’s tortoises to the
center to breed because the likelihood of the animals finding each other was
negligible (to say the least). Since
1970, well over two thousand tortoises hatched in the center and have been returned to
their home islands, including Espanola.
Much of the success has to do
with the eradication of non-native animals, like goats, dogs and pigs. Tortoise eggs and babies were easy prey for those animals
We see both dome and saddleback tortoises at the center.
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| Domed tortoise |
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| Saddleback Tortoise at the breeding center |
And lots of babies.
The numbers on the tortoise
shells identify their homes so when they are mature, the staff can repatriate
them to the appropriate islands.
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| Young Tortoises at the Charles Darwin Research Center - Breeding Center |
As I move through the
breeding center, I also see a lot of ‘old friends’:
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| woodpecker finches |
Yellow land iguanas
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| My favorite caption for this guy has always been, "This IS my happy face." And it probably is. |
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And a Lava lizard
We’re enjoying the animals,
the history of the center, the knowledge that it has saved these extraordinary
tortoises. The 'bigger picture' is the important one: the center serves as a significant
natural habitat for biodiversity and a resource for over two hundred educators,
students, scientists, and volunteers from all over the world. It trains naturalists,
tour guides, and makes the education of the regional peoples a priority. Assuring the local community
receives environmental education is one of its main goals. At the time of my visit, the staff was more than 75% Ecuadorian.
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