?> {"id":1446,"date":"2009-10-19T20:43:21","date_gmt":"2009-10-20T00:43:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.twofatbellies.com\/?p=1446"},"modified":"2009-10-19T23:55:20","modified_gmt":"2009-10-20T03:55:20","slug":"galapagos-day-5-%e2%80%93-santa-cruz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.twofatbellies.com\/2009\/10\/galapagos-day-5-%e2%80%93-santa-cruz\/","title":{"rendered":"Galapagos Day 5 \u2013 Santa Cruz"},"content":{"rendered":"
This was an exciting day for us, as it was the only day where we would spend time in a town in the Galapagos. Right after breakfast we landed at Puerto Ayora and took a short bus ride and walk to the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS).<\/p>\n
We walked around and our naturalist guide told us about the different breeding programs that the CDRS manages, and how the scientists from the station gather information about the islands to bolster their conservation efforts. We visited Diego, who came from the San Diego zoo and has helped restore his species from near extinction. We also saw Lonesome George, the only one of his kind, whom they’re trying to breed with females of a different but similar species. However, he doesn’t seem too fond of his \u201cgirlfriends\u201d, and it’s said that he hates them with all his heart.<\/p>\n
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