The Galapagos Islands are a unique archipelago in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Ecuador, South America. Charles Darwin and his Theory of Evolution and countless David Attenborough wildlife documentaries have shed a lot of light on the islands and the ecosystem. Johnny, our Galapagos guru, shares the latest news from the islands.
Galapagos Wildlife Updates
- Very exciting news that the endangered species of Scalloped Hammerheads have been discovered in the waters near Santa Cruz Island. This positive news comes after the worldwide population of Scalloped Hammerheads have declined by 90%. The sharks have been fitted with monitoring devices to track them in hope to understanding more about them to improve conservation efforts.
- Galapagos rangers have discovered a female tortoise found on Fernandina Island. The last female tortoise on the island was discovered around 112 years ago and it was thought they were extinct on the island. The tortoise has been transferred to Santa Cruz breeding center in hope they can breed, with the longer-term goal that multiple can be returned to their natural habitat.
- After a lengthy quarantine process in Santa Cruz, 11 rangers have released 155 juvenile Espanola Tortoises on Santa Fe island, Galapagos. The species extinct over 150 years ago and these Espanola Tortoises have similar genetics to the species that used to exist. The release Tortoises have all been micros shipped to monitor conservation effort of the Galapagos National Park. Hopes are that they will begin reproducing within the next 7-8 years. In total 549 have been released in the past 5 years.
Galapagos Tourism Updates
A new luxury and highly sustainable Galapagos boat has been launched in March 2019 and will replace the MV Eric. The MV Theory is a 20 passenger boat that does combines sustainability with luxury. As a sister ship to the highly successful, MV Theory, this boat sets a very high standard. The main USP’s are:
- that they have 2 guides for every ten passengers (the Galapagos rule is that every 16 passengers need a guide)
- they have concierge looking after your every need
- the MV Theory and MV Origin are the only boats with Relais & Chateaux status
Johnny
johnny@southamericaodyssey.com