Santa Cruz Island, is the home of the largest tortoises that inhabit this enchanted archipelago, the “Galapagos” or Chelonoide porteri, is the species from this particular island and one of the eleven species alive today. These incredibly tame creatures have been saved from extinction by the joint efforts of the National Park Service and the Darwin Foundation, two of the most well-known conservation institutions of the planet. The morning visit to the breading center, where we learned about the captive breeding program, has clearly been one of the most inspiring experiences of the week, realizing that we, as humans are restoring the natural conditions of these islands to make sure no further damage puts these gentle creatures at risk again.
The program started back in the 1960s with the Española sub species. Numbers were diminishing due to the presence of introduced goats and donkeys on the island. The mammals will forage the vegetation of this hostile island, leaving the tortoises not only without food but also without shelter. After years of research and hard work, the programs have been a 100% success! Today over 2000 young tortoises have been repatriated to their island of origin and are now reproducing in the wild without human intervention.
In the afternoon tortoises in the wild kept our groups walking in different directions. With the ability to approach them, everyone wanted to get a picture with their favorite individual. We found the very big males that were patiently waiting for the females return. After more than a hundred years of following up and down the island, these big guys have finally realized that the females will eventually come back. A bit of drizzle made the scene feel very dramatic, walking with these incredible gentle creatures made us feel transported back in time, maybe a hundred years ago, when the tortoises roamed the islands by themselves…
