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Until about 500 years ago - a heartbeat in evolutionary time - the wildlife of the Galapagos Islands was oblivious to the exist¬ence of humans. But with the advent of long-distance sea travel, it was only a matter of time before humans stepped ashore. Some historians believe the first visitors may have been Incas on balsa rafts in the 1400s, but the first written record was in 1535, when a Spaniard, Thomas de Berlanga, noted ‘...seals, turtles and such big tortoises that each could carry a man on top of itself, and many iguanas that are like serpents...' Oceanic islands typically support few terrestrial predators so birds commonly evolve flightlessness and other wildlife is often tame. But this blissful state has an often fatal corollary: ‘ecologic¬al naivety', whereby wildlife fails to recognize a new threat, such as humans and their animal servants. Thus, archipelagos such as Hawaii and New Zealand suffered waves of extinctions soon after the arrival of primitive humans, and the age of sail herald¬ed the rampant exploitation of the Galapagos' tame wildlife. De Berlanga's impact was minimal, but from the 16th century onwards an ever-increasing stream of buccaneers and other sea¬farers used various sites around the islands to replenish their supplies. High on their list of priorities was fresh meat, and giant tortoises were ideal for long voyages: they were defenseless against humans, could be stored alive on their backs for months on end and were available in apparently inexhaustible numbers. From an estimated 200,000 their population crashed to as low as 15,000 over three centuries. And exploitation did not stop with these defenseless reptiles. The abundant whales in Galapagos waters were hunted relentlessly, as everywhere, from the 1790s until the late 19th century; and fur seals were hunted almost to extinction for their luxurious pelts right up to the 1930s. By the time the killing had stopped, some of the livestock and vermin that accompany people everywhere had run wild over the islands. They remain one of the most pernicious problems facing wildlife conservation in the Galapagos to this day. Goats were released to breed on many islands to ensure a constant supply of fresh meat for passing vessels; and pigs, donkeys and cattle escaped domesticity to roam feral. Rats ran ashore from the holds of ships, and feral populations of companion animals, such as cats and dogs, also became established. These intelli¬gent, efficient and adaptable killers remain a serious pest on some islands, and feral hoofed animals in vast numbers continue to destroy natural vegetation and soils. Honouring a Great Man In 1959, the centenary of the publication of The Origin of Species, the Charles Darwin Foundation was founded to further the conservation of Galapagos ecosystems. The Charles Darwin Research Station was built next to Bahia Academy in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz in 1964. It now has a team of more than 200 scientists, educators, volunteers, students and staff dedicated to scientific research and environmental education. Their broad brief includes the monitoring and control of invasive species, marine research, restoring the population of giant tortoises, land iguanas and opuntias, and public education. The CDRS is open to the public daily and features giant tortoise and land iguana breeding corrals, an interpretive center, a library and a shop. There's another giant tortoise breeding facility at Puerto Villamil on Isabela and environmental education centers on Isabela and San Cristobal. Galapagos Cruises
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