> > by Cheryl Menagh
“Who is Lonesome George?” I whisper to my partner-in-crime, while surreptitiously listening in on the conversation of the couple sitting in front of us on the flight to Quito, Ecuador’s capital. “Maybe it’s the name of a country and western singer,” mumbles Taylor as I quickly start fl icking through our guide book on the Galápagos Islands. Well, it turns out ‘Lonesome George’ is their most famous resident and a conservation icon. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, he is the “rarest living creature”, suspected to be the last surviving member of his subspecies – Geochelone elephantopus abingdoni – the Galápagos Giant Tortoise.
Aged somewhere between 90 and 100 years, George is a native of Pinta, an isolated northern island of the Galápagos although he now resides at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island. Scientists have been trying to get George to procreate since 1993 to ensure that his line does not become extinct.They introduced two female tortoises of a different subspecies from the neighbouring island of Isabela into his pen, but to no avail. It seems George is in no hurry.
George’s existence is an example of the sort of amazing facts that come to light on a trip to the unique Galápagos Islands, which lie in the Pacific Ocean 965 kilometres west of mainland Ecuador, South America. I know the word ‘unique’ is probably one of the most overused and misused words in the English language, but in this case it’s true. In all its dramatic and desolate volcanic beauty, this living natural laboratory is home to some marine and land creatures found nowhere else in the world!
What makes these islands so special is their location. Straddling the equator, the islands form a chain across both the northern and southern hemisphere and are situated on the Galápagos Triple Junction – a geological area where three tectonic plates meet. In addition, two small microplates are caught in the junction, and turn synchronously to create counter-rotating currents which bring in colder waters, enabling sea life such as penguins and sea lions to survive on the equator.
UNESCO has declared the 13 main islands and dozens of smaller islets and rocks of the protected volcanic Galápagos archipelago a World Heritage site. Nearly a quarter of all species are endemic and some, such as the flightless cormorant, marine iguana, Galápagos mockingbird, and the Galápagos giant tortoise are only found here.
Described as a separate “centre of creation” by Charles Darwin, the extraordinary wildlife on these remote islands was the inspiration for his theory of evolution during his visit in 1835. It is easy to see why his ideas were shaped by how these animals were moulded by their different environment, which ultimately led to his scientific work, On The Origin of Species.
Look at Lonesome George who hails from Pinta, a very dry and desolate place as the island’s vegetation had been devastated for several decades by introduced feral goats. The diminishing food supply nearly led to the extinction of native tortoises. To try and survive they resorted to eating the cacti and other high growing plants, hence their neck needed to be longer to reach up and their shell developed into a ‘saddle back’ to allow
more upward movement.
Compared to the other giant tortoises living on the more fertile islands of Santa Cruz and Southern Isabella, where they are able to graze on the easily available lush grass, you see the difference – the tortoises retained their domed shell, short necks and grew much bigger!
Examining finches was instrumental to Darwin’s evolutionary theory – looking at how the same species of bird developed different beaks depending on the environment where they found food. Did they live on the cacti or seeds; hard seeds or soft seeds? Don’t misunderstand, Taylor and I are not avid bird-watchers by any stretch of the imagination, but something mystical happens in the Galápagos and you just can’t help but become intrigued by the reasons why.
The best way to see the Galápagos is by boat. We had travelled with Peregrine Adventures before and liked their responsible tourism philosophy of respecting and benefiting the local people and environment; of having a maximum of 16 people on any tour; and their use of expert local tour leaders who make all the difference between a good holiday and an unforgettable experience, so we booked with them again.
We flew from Quito to Baltra airport, where our guide met us and Tania and Christian who also had chosen the five-day trip option, and we would soon meet the other eleven travellers who had already been cruising for a few days. After a short bus trip and a ferry ride we arrived on Santa Cruz Island and placed our bags onboard Peregrine’s M.Y. San Jose in our well appointed, air-conditioned cabin complete with private facilities.
The food on board was superb and ‘gringo-proof ’ so we could eat anything they offered in their three-course breakfast, lunch and dinners. All the staff were so friendly and helpful which only added to the pleasure of our boat trip around the islands. Back to Santa Cruz, our guide and companions; we were driven to the Highlands to walk amongst the hundreds of the giant Galápagos tortoises roaming around unperturbed, followed by a walk through the Lava Tubes of Bellavista while learning about the volcanic origins of the islands, especially as Christian was a geologist and kind enough to answer our continual questions.
Continuing on with our education, we visited the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS) and discovered more about the formation of the Galápagos archipelago and its wildlife. The CDRS’ objectives are to conduct scientific research and environmental education for conservation.
From Santa Cruz, we motored through the night and arrived at a different island every morning over the next four days. On San Cristobal we visited the Interpretation Centre with its series of interactive exhibits which provided information about the history and biodiversity of the Galápagos Islands.
Next was the isolated Española Island where we saw a Galápagos hawk, Darwin finches, marine iguanas, the waved albatrosses (with a wingspan of 3.5 metres), their nests, the frigate birds displaying their resplendent
scarlet pouch for courtship, and my absolute favourite, the blue-footed booby birds. These birds, with their outrageous aqua webbed feet and unusual face, look like a cross between a penguin and duck, and happen to be fearless divers and ironically, picturesque dancers while courting – flapping their wings and stomping those magnificent blue feet – a sight you have to see to believe!
Next stop was Floreana Island to see Post Office Bay where whaling Captain James Colnett established the wooden post barrel in early 1793. It’s a tradition to go through the box and pick out postcards in your area to post when you return home.
In the surrounding crystal-clear waters we snorkelled amongst the colourful fish, sea lions and diving penguins. Do you know the difference between a sea lion and a seal? I didn’t – a sea lion has little ears and its back fin is divided into two flippers whereas a seal only has one and no ears. Add another fact to the list of what I never knew before.
The creatures of these enchanted islands have no instinctive fear of man and to be able to observe the life cycles of a huge range of marine mammals, reptiles and birds that you never get to see anywhere else at incredibly close quarters stunned me speechless. And I (and Taylor) can tell you that doesn’t happen very often!
It was all amazingly beautiful and so fascinating, and all the more so because of the new and interesting facts explained by our affable guide, Fabian – we were never bored on our Galápagos trip. We really enjoyed this more laid-back type of adventure holiday with the relaxing ambience which sea travel brings and being treated like royalty on the ship. And what made this incredible journey especially memorable was experiencing it all with someone special.
Now I actually feel particularly sad for Lonesome George and hope that one day he will find that someone special too!