OkcPets Magazine March 2022

March/April 2022 • OKC Pets 21 Saving the GIANTS Conservation Boosts Tortoise Population, and Oklahomans Do Their Part Story and photographs by Heide Brandes O n Santa Cruz Island, one of the 127 islands that make up Ecuador’s Galápagos Islands archipelago, giants roamed the grassy highlands of a former cattle ranch. Weighing as much as 660 pounds and living to as much as 200 years old, Galápa- gos giant tortoises with their massive shells dotted the landscape of the Rancho El Manzanillo tortoise ranch. They were everywhere, as plentiful as squirrels in a park in Oklahoma, but these gentle, slow creatures have been endangered and at risk for extinction since man discovered the islands in the 1500s. Found only in the Galápagos Islands, Galápagos giant tortoises have had a tough run of it. In the 1500s, more than 250,000 of the creatures roamed peacefully in the archipelago, which later inspired Charles Darwin to develop his theory of evolution. Overhunting by sailors in the 1500s and beyond dropped the tortoises’ number to a terrifyingly low 15,000, but through aggressive conservation efforts, breeding programs, and strict protections, Galápa- gos tortoises are on the rebound. Still, only 11 species of Galápagos giant tortoises remain, four fewer than when Darwin visited the islands. Today the tortoises live on seven islands of the archipelago, surviving against all odds through volcanic eruptions, fires, hunting, and predatory introduced species. Efforts to save Galápagos tortoises aren’t limited to the islands themselves, however. Oklahoma plays a very big role in helping to ensure the future for the animals and for tortoises everywhere. SAVING THE GENTLE GIANTS I sailed as a hosted guest on the inaugural Hurtigruten Expeditions’ Galápagos Island small-ship cruise in January 2022 and saw firsthand the efforts and conservation programs that focus on not just tortoises but all the unique creatures of the Galápa- gos Islands. Aboard the MS Santa Cruz II , each of our excursions was led by an expert expedition team naturalist with Galápagos National Parks who explained the history and unique flora and fauna of the islands and the herculean ways in which the Ecua- Max, one of the four Galápagos giant tortoises at the Oklahoma City Zoo, peers intently at the camera. The zoo has renovated its tortoise habitat and supports conservation efforts for the tortoises. The Charles Darwin Research Center on Santa Cruz Island is working to boost the population of Galápagos tortoises through a breeding program.