He slowly looks up at me while chewing on his bit of grass, seeing mild intrest in his acient eyes. They are facinating creatures these giants tortiose, who reach an adge of 150 years when their shiel has a diameter of over a meter. They have a snake like head on a seemingly to thin, very wrinkly neck(that´s what happens when you´re over a century old)and nostriles like holes in their non existing noses. Their legs seem out of proportion and more like walking sticks they sometimes clim on and then very slowly with a big sigh move forward, like old creatures are suppose to do. They seem indifferent, very calm, like they have seen it all. Then again, that´s kind of true as their spicies have been around since prehistoric times. Many walk around freely in the tortiose santuary, but they also started a breeding program in which they harvest the eggs and put them in an incubator. Eggs kept on 27,5 C become male and the ones on 29 C female. Until they reach the adge of 6 years old they are kept in a surrounding until their shell is hard enough, then they are beeing released in the wild again. This got the amount of tortiouse back to an excaptable level.
On one Island, the help came to late. There was found only one tortiouse found, named lonsome George. They took him to the santuary in the ´70´s where he shares a place with two lovely lady´s ever since. He is so big, that he nearly burst out of his shell, like a fat girl in a mini dress. But then again. who woudn´t resort to confort eating when you´re the last one of your kind on a Island.
Santa Cruz is really nice, but has by far not the same wildlife as San Cristobal. They do have some great restaurants though, like the Rock and Il Gardina. where we have Galapagos prawn, who are really tasty and the size of a lobster. But we do spot a iguana swimming by, it looks a bit rediculous, but it´s a fact, they do swim.
