Isabela Island
Our expedition brought us today to the south western side of Isabela Island. Its capital, Puerto Villamil, is a picturesque small town where we spent the afternoon exploring its surroundings. There is a branch of the Galápagos National Park on the island where various subspecies of giant tortoises from Isabela Island are being reproduced. This Rearing Center program runs under the scientific supervision of the Charles Darwin Research Station. We saw and learnt about the fascinating program for the incubation, rearing and repatriation of the Galápagos giant tortoises back in the wild. One of the subspecies of tortoises that lives in the center is a very interesting one. These reptiles are originally from the nearby Sierra Azul volcano. Just take a look at today’s picture to observe the peculiar “flat shape” carapace characteristic of this rare subspecies. Several males and females were rescued, most of them by helicopter, when the volcano erupted in 1998. Their survival was threatened, since then, from the original seventy individuals that were rescued, more than 600 have been repatriated. A real triumph for conservation! With amazement and curiosity we visited the different areas where we could observe baby tortoises and many breeding adults from other Isabela Island’s subspecies. We had a great time on the island for we learned about the remarkable efforts that are being made to save the most emblematic of the animal species of the archipelago, the world famous Galápagos giant tortoises.
A soft refreshing breeze and a gorgeous sunset were our company when we came back onboard. We can hardly wait to see what new discoveries and surprises our expedition will bring to our lives tomorrow.
Our expedition brought us today to the south western side of Isabela Island. Its capital, Puerto Villamil, is a picturesque small town where we spent the afternoon exploring its surroundings. There is a branch of the Galápagos National Park on the island where various subspecies of giant tortoises from Isabela Island are being reproduced. This Rearing Center program runs under the scientific supervision of the Charles Darwin Research Station. We saw and learnt about the fascinating program for the incubation, rearing and repatriation of the Galápagos giant tortoises back in the wild. One of the subspecies of tortoises that lives in the center is a very interesting one. These reptiles are originally from the nearby Sierra Azul volcano. Just take a look at today’s picture to observe the peculiar “flat shape” carapace characteristic of this rare subspecies. Several males and females were rescued, most of them by helicopter, when the volcano erupted in 1998. Their survival was threatened, since then, from the original seventy individuals that were rescued, more than 600 have been repatriated. A real triumph for conservation! With amazement and curiosity we visited the different areas where we could observe baby tortoises and many breeding adults from other Isabela Island’s subspecies. We had a great time on the island for we learned about the remarkable efforts that are being made to save the most emblematic of the animal species of the archipelago, the world famous Galápagos giant tortoises.
A soft refreshing breeze and a gorgeous sunset were our company when we came back onboard. We can hardly wait to see what new discoveries and surprises our expedition will bring to our lives tomorrow.
