A Visit to Charles Darwin Research Station-Galapagos
Once you arrived to Santa Cruz Island, you are excited about all the many activities on your “to do” list. But, the one visit that most people should do is a visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station. For one, it has easy access. People can rent a bike and ride there, or do what we did. We walked there. This is a pleasant walk, one can see many small lizards on the path, and the vegetation is also different from plants we have at home. This makes the walk more interesting. I would suggest to visit this center first, before any other activity, in the many islands. It provides a lot of information to better understand the Galapagos Islands. We learned that Galapagos is a Spanish word used to identify these big turtles that populated the islands. These tortoises are the Galapagos.
They inaugurated the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS) in 1964, in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Island. It is a biological research station. Operated by the Charles Darwin Foundation, with a 25-year agreement with the Ecuadorian government. They did the late renewal back in 2016. The main purpose of this research station was conservation. It still continues so, to this day. On the way to the research station, there is a statue of a park ranger. This in their honor and in recognition of their hard work. In the same place there is a plaque acknowledging the “Islas Galapagos” as a World Heritage Site. This was established in 1979.
On the day of our visit, we walked there right after they opened, around 8:00 a.m. there were already people in front of us. We thought we could visit the center on our own. It is important to mention that there are very few activities you can do by yourself on the Galapagos Islands. And we thought this could have been one of them. But that is not the case, you need to do this in a group with a tour guide. The people in front of us were having some money issues and at some point, all three employees were attending this Spanish group until one employee helped us. We told him it was three of us. After paying the fee of $10.00 USD per person, and giving him our names, we had to run to catch up with the group that just departed. It’s easier if you can take the tour in either English or Spanish language, although we have noticed that most of the tour guides speak English very well. This goes for most of the people that deals with tourists, they understand and speak English.
Our tour guide introduced us to; The Path of the Tortoise. This was established in 2017. This is a path that takes you through four unique areas. The first area is Todo Cambia or Everything Changes; regarding in how humans changed the wildlife on the island. Where some species became extinct and others developed after human contact. We were told how the first explorers captured hundreds of thousands of tortoises for food. And they used their oil as fuel to ignite their lamps. The second area is El Viajero Curioso or The Curious Traveler; regarding Charles Darwin’s personal life, and his life as an explorer. His research, the one that led him to the development of his evolution theory. At the entrance of the exhibit hall there is a map of “The H.M.S. Beagle in the Galapagos Islands, 1835.” A map of the five-year voyage from 1831 until 1835, in which Charles Darwin as a naturalist collected many samples and journal this expedition. The third area is Nuevas Viajeras, or New Travelers; relating to the tortoises, and their recent arrivals. Our tour guide explained, how they developed this breeding center “Fausto Llerena.” A successful area for reproduction, and breeding of these giant tortoises. He informed us how out of the 15 spices of tortoise, that once existed on the Galapagos islands, there are only 11 species left.
The final fourth area is Símbolo de Esperanza or Symbol of Hope; in honor to Lonesome George. The giant tortoise, the last one of his species died in 2012. They found George in 1971 on the Pinta Island. In 1972 they moved him to Santa Cruz Island, into a protected area where Mr. Fausto Llerena took excellent care of him. Meanwhile people started the search of a female tortoise to prevent extinction. Only then they discovered that he was the last one of his kind, Geochelone elephantopus abingdoni, turning him into Lonesome George. Although they tried many times to find a way of reproduction, none of them was successful. George died of old age, at approximately 100 years. They embalmed George’s body. And is in an exhibition cold chamber to prevent its decomposition.
After the sadness of all hope lost with the dead of Lonesome George. Our tour guide told us about Diego, and his soon well-deserved retirement. Contrary to Lonesome George, Diego worked to prevent his specie “Chelonoidis hoodensis” from extinction. He has performed very well in this preservation, 40 percent of the population of this specie on Española Island is thanks to him. Our tour guide mentioned that they will send Diego back home to Española Island in March of this year. Diego lived in the San Diego Zoo for 30 years, then he was brought back to Ecuador. Where he was working on a breeding program in Santa Cruz Island, and this 2020 he will officially retire, and go back home. After approximately 80 years later.
We enjoyed the breeding center. Seeing the different stages of the tortoises; they are cute at the early stages. It also shows how important is the job they are doing in this center. Overall, our visit was great. There is plenty of information in the yellow building, where you will find the exhibition hall. In here there is a little shop with souvenirs and books. We found “Collecting Evolution: The Galapagos Expedition that Vindicated Darwin” by Matthew J. James. A book for the month of June in our South America to the World Book Club. But what they didn’t have was Charles Darwin’s main publication “On the Origin of Species” or “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life” published on November 24th 1859, and that surprised us.
They have a Bryde’s whale skeleton as a focal point, plenty of pictures, a collection room, and they also have a sand sample of the Galapagos Islands. In this collection they have Red Sand from Rabida Island, Golden Sand from Bartholome Island, Black, Olivine, and White Sand from Floreana Island. This made my husband happy; he has been working on his sand collection for quite some time, and he wrote this post “The Sands of Chile”
On the way out of the Path of the Tortoise there is a small area in which they present their recovery project for the Mangrove Finch. This was very interesting and educational. Also, our tour guide invited us to go to the Playa de la Estación, right before leaving the research station. This area has a beach access area where you can see lizards, you could go swimming or you can just enjoy the view.
The Charles Darwin Research Station is operated by The Charles Darwin Foundation and they are open every day from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
For more information, and current times, please visit Charles Darwin Foundation.
Do connect with us:
ResearchGate: James M. Wise
Author´s page: James M. Wise
Photography page: JamesM.Wise.com
Author´s page: Yanira K. Wise
South America seems to refuse to show its inexhaustible creative force.
