Galapagos: Santa Cruz's Darwin Research Center



The Charles Darwin Research Center -- home of the Charles Darwin Foundation as well as many ongoing research projects -- was founded in 1959 on the island of Santa Cruz. (To explain the above photo, FitzRoy was the pilot of the HMS Beagle, Darwin's ship.)

The research center has interpretative exhibits that are fairly minor and disappointing. But they are heavily involved with land tortoise hatchling programs, and their outside exhibits are astonishing.

Here is a video of one enclosure, featuring some baby tortoises that are being hatched here before getting released into the wild.


The researchers also maintain tortoise counts on how many tortoises they have raised and released onto each island in the Galapagos.




The tortoise "pens" replicate some natural environment elements so that the hatchlings can eventually learn to find food on their own.


We had seen a rat earlier in the week on a hike, but had been told that there were no rats on the islands. This research center confirmed what we saw, and Ed is beside himself over one of his favorite animals.


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