Galapagos and Beyond: Tortoise Population Recovery is a World-wide Effort

Giant Galapagos Land Tortoise

Our giant land-based endemic Galapagos Tortoises are a “must see” feature for most Galapagos visitors. Giant tortoises and the Galapagos Islands are, in many ways, synonymous, particularly when you consider that our islands are named in their honor. When the first explorers came to these islands and saw the hundreds of thousands of saddle back giant tortoises, they named the islands to reflect their discovery as the word “galapagos” means saddle in Spanish.

Tagus Cove Graffiti Reminds Us of Plundering Pirates

Of course, history now tells us that the same people who first came here and became so enamored, later destroyed the very tortoise population that intrigued them from the beginning. Pirates and other seafarers took tortoises by the hundreds, and even thousands, and threw them into the holds of their ships to eat, use for oil, and take home for trading. Many of the tortoises died on their journey, only to be thrown back into the sea.  Mankind also was a further catalyst for the reduction and extinction of the giant tortoise population when we introduced non-endemic species such as goats and rats to the islands. These predators soon attacked and ate the hatching tortoises.

Tortoise World-Wide Celebration

We all love our Galapagos Tortoises.  I've already told you a lot about Lonesome George, the most famous tortoise ever, not only in Galapagos, but around the world.  And, if you've been following the Galapagos Eco-Lodge blog, you know that in Galapagos preservation of these marvelous and unique reptiles is a huge priority of the Charles Darwin Foundation.

But, it turns out that our Galapagos tortoises are not the only celebrated tortoises - not at all.  In fact, May 23, 2014 was actually the 14th celebration of international "World Turtle Day."  The day was dedicated to educating people about tortoises, turtles and worldwide conversation and preservation efforts.

The day is sponsored by American Tortoise Rescue, a non-profit organization with the mission to protect all species of tortoise and turtle. ATR has placed about 3000 tortoises in caring homes.

Before sharing some fabulous reptile photos with you, I want to take just a moment to tell you the major distinctions between tortoises and turtles.  A tortoise lives on the land, eats bushes, vegetation, grass, and cacti. Their feet have adapted for land mobility; thus they have heavily padded feet, instead of webs. Turtles, in contrast, live most of their life in the water, and have webbed feet for swimming. They stay in the water, like our green sea turtles, except when they come to shore to lay eggs or for a brief bask in the sun.

Some interesting facts:

Turtles can be tiny like this little Bog Turtle (photo courtesy of U.S Fish and Wildlife Service and popsci.com/article/science/its-world-turtle-day):

Galapagos: A Hotbed of Scientific Exploration

One of the behind the scenes aspects of the Galapagos Islands, one that visitors and even natives rarely get to see, is the in-depth and often pivotal scientific research that happens on every island on an ongoing basis. I've written before about the finch research taking place on Daphne. And, I've also written extensively about work done constantly by the Charles Darwin Foundation, particularly with their tortoise breeding programs. The most famous of all is, of course, the effort made with the iconic Lonesome George.

But those are merely the best known of the projects. Research, study and observation are all critical components of our quest for maintaining the pristine quality and the ecological integrity of the islands.  In just the last month, results of two new studies were reported in scientific journals. They provide information critical to our understanding of the Galapagos Islands and, equally important, of how much harder we must continue to work to save and protect the biodiversity and natural order throughout the archipelago.

Charles Darwin Research Station - Fifty Years of Conservation

Charles Darwin Research Foundation

A "must see" destination for any visitor to the Galápagos Islands is The Charles Darwin Research Station. Once known primarily as the home of Lonesome George, now that George is gone, visitors are recognizing it for so much more: a major center for scientific study and the preservation of all species on the Galapagos Islands.




The scientists and conservationists responsible for founding the CDRS showed tremendous insight and foresight.  Long before conservation and sustainability were trendy, the CDRS saw that human intervention was needed to assure survival of the diversity and uniqueness of the Galapagos Islands.

Tortoise Breeding Project

This endeavour started in the 1950s when a young researcher, Irenäus Eibl-Eibesfeldt, came to the Galapagos Islands and became fascinated by the uniqueness of the islands fauna and flora, but likewise concerned about its future survival and the need for conservation.  He shared his findings with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), among other organizations, and strongly advocated for a biological research station for study and laboratory experimentation. Originally established as a center for tortoise breeding projects, CDRS has expanded to the forefront of organizations determined to protect endangered species and restore them to unprotected status.

Santa Cruz - Charles Darwin Reseach Station

Entrace to CDRS by Scott Abelman

The Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island near the town of Puerto Ayora, is one of the best known and most visited sites in all of the Galapagos. The CDRS is a joint effort of the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Galapagos National Park Service to protect, conserve, keep from extinction and repopulate the many Galapagos Tortoise species that are endemic to the islands.

George and a Female

CDRS was created in 1964 and its tortoise preservation program initiated in 1965. From 1971 until his death in June 2012, CDRS was the home of the biggest celebrity in the Galapagos Islands, Lonesome George. George, who lived at the CDRS for more than 40 years, was the last extant tortoise from Pinta Island and had, for many years, been the focus of concerted efforts to breed him with other similar, but not identical, tortoises. Unfortunately, all efforts failed and when George died, so did the species. For an extensive discussion of Lonesome George and the efforts to reproduce the species see my earlier post written right after his death.