The Galapagos are synonymous with the huge giant tortoises that are found on most islands.

They have been harvested by Buccaneers who loaded their holds with 10’s of thousands of these creatures, storing them upside down as they would survive for up to a year without food or water, providing fresh meat for the crew. They have been  used as fresh meat by the Whalers that came and decimated seal and whale stocks around the islands and more recently threatened by feral cats, goats and rats introduced by man. In some cases they have become extinct and on one island a single male survived, Lonesome George, who is now held in captivity in the Darwin Research centre.

There is an extensive conservation program led by the National Parks authority with international support to rebuild numbers and we visited the breeding centre on San Cristobel to see these

incredible creatures that can live to 150 years old and the work of the conservation teams and to see Genesis, the first Tortoise bred in the centre. They now have a success rate of over 60%

far higher than would happen in the wild. On San Cristobel the Tortoises roamed across much of the island but after years of encroachment they are protected from outside pressures by the Park Wardens but their habitat and range in the breeding centre is identical to their small natural range in the north of the island.