Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Charles Darwin Research Station
Established in 1964, the Charles Darwin Research Station is a scientific facility on Santa
Cruz Island where over 200 scientists, biologists, educators, support staff and volunteers
work on conservation projects to preserve the wildlife Galápagos is so well-known for.
The station is best known for its giant tortoise captive breeding program where the late
Lonesome George lived, bearing the weight of his endangered species and the requisite
fame it brought him.
The facility is operated by the Charles Darwin Foundation which is made up of local and
national network of conservation organizations that work in conjunction with the Galápa-
gos National Park Service to advise on preservation projects. While many international
scientists, research assistants and volunteer staff are represented by the organization, 90%
of the staff are Ecuadorians dedicated to training local residents as future scientists.
The CDRS is a 20-minute walk from Puerto Ayora's city center on Charles Darwin Aven-
ue's northern end or a quick boat ride from Academy Bay. A small information center in-
troduces visitors to the station while the Van Straelen Interpretation Centre beyond it ex-
hibits data regarding all aspects of nature on Galápagos: geology, climate and conserva-
tion programs. From here you can watch a video about the organization, the islands and
how you can get involved.
After checking those out you can head over to the tortoise-rearing pens where younglings
grow safely from the reach of predators and released when they are big enough to evade
danger in the wild. A short stroll on their raised boardwalk will take you to Lonesome Ge-
orge's old stomping grounds, the giant tortoise corrals, while at the end of the boardwalk
you're greeted by a handful of friendly turtles that were all donated to the center. This is
the best place to come face-to-face with the creatures as you're allowed to walk in and
snap close-ups.
Solitario Jorge
As the last surviving giant tortoise from the extinct Pinta Island species, Lonesome Ge-
orge was the rarest creature in the world and thus a celebrated, but sad symbol for conser-
vationism. The species were thought to be extinct from 1906 when the last one was
sighted to 1971 when Jorge first met human contact. His life was marked by many scient-
