Latest Galapagos National Park Stories

Brett Smith for redOrbit.com Sadly, the sudden death of the giant tortoise Lonesome George on the Galapagos Islands this Sunday marks the loss of another subspecies from the face of the Earth. When scientists first met Lonesome George on Pinta Island in 1972, they had thought his species, Geochelone nigra abingdoni, was already extinct. He was immediately placed into the park service’s tortoise breeding program on Santa Cruz Island and while he did mate with a female tortoise — the...

The Galapagos National Park said in a statement to the Associated Press (AP) on Thursday that they are providing two new female partners for "Lonely George", who is believed to be the last living member of the Geochelone abigdoni species.George is estimated to be between 90 and 100 years old "” and could have at least 50 more years ahead of him. For the past 20 years, he has lived with two previous female partners, of the similar but different Geochelone becki species. The females laid eggs...

A volcanic eruption has compromised the wildlife of the ecologically-delicate Galapagos Islands, resulting in the deaths of fish and sea lions over the weekend, officials announced Thursday.Deceased wildlife floated in the Pacific Ocean waters surrounding the well-known island chain shortly after the Saturday explosion of the La Cumbre volcano, officials said.Officials said a 30 foot wide lava stream descended into the water after the eruption.The 4,500 ft tall volcano last erupted four years...

Officials announced on Saturday that the La Cumbre volcano in the Galapagos Islands is erupting again and could threaten the Islands' unique wildlife.The volcano, which has been quiet for 4 years, began spewing lava, gas and smoke on the island of Fernandina, which is uninhabited by humans. Fernandina is considered to be the most active island in the archipelago in regards to volcanic events.The Galapagos National Park said in a statement that there is no threat to nearby Isabela Island....

Park rangers at Ecuador's Galapagos National Park said a tortoise believed to be the last of its subspecies has failed in two attempts at fathering children. The rangers said the 90-year-old tortoise named Lonesome George -- the last known member of the Pinta Island tortoise subspecies -- has shown little interest in mating since it was found in 1971, The Daily Telegraph reported Friday. Lonesome George, who has become a regional icon for conservation, did mate with two female tortoises of...

QUITO, Ecuador - Rangers found the shells of eight endangered giant tortoises believed to have been killed by poachers, Galapagos National Park officials said Tuesday. Poachers sometimes kill the protected tortoises and use the meat for consumption or for sale on the black market. Of the remains discovered, five were up to 15 years old, and three were adult females - possibly older than 80 - the park said in a statement. The park called their deaths a great loss, saying some had been hatched...

By Michael McCarthy The threat is growing to the cradle of evolution. Crucial talks take place today over the increasingly precarious future of the Galapagos Islands, whose unique wildlife inspired Charles Darwin's revolutionary theory. High-ranking United Nations officials will be meet ministers from the government of Ecuador, which owns the volcanic islands 600 miles off its Pacific coast, to discuss how to protect them from the increasing threats posed by immigration, mass tourism,...

QUITO, Ecuador - Rescuers dug makeshift pools in the sand around 12 whales beached on the Galapagos Islands, filling the shallow pits with water Sunday in an effort to keep the whales from dying of dehydration. The whales, which are 10 to 30 feet long, came ashore late Saturday near the southern town of Puerto Villamil on Isabela Island, the largest of the Galapagos, said Rosa Leon, a spokeswoman for the Galapagos National Park. The Galapagos Islands, 625 miles off Ecuador's Pacific coast,...

QUITO, Ecuador (Reuters) - A volcanic eruption on the Galapagos Islands has sent scorching lava pouring seawards but giant tortoises which helped inspired the theory of evolution are safe, island authorities said on Sunday. The Sierra Negra volcano on Isabela Island -- the largest of the Pacific Ocean archipelago which is part of Ecuador -- erupted on Saturday night, the Galapagos National Park said in a news release. Slow-moving lava is edging down the mountainside and could reach...