Conservation Corner Gateway to the Galápagos Islands: Giant Galápagos Tortoises

By: Jessica Reyes HoustonZoo.org

As appreciative supporters of nature and wildlife, we at Houston PetTalk want to promote education and conservation of the world’s animal population. Each month we bring you information on conservation efforts that are of special interest or have some connection to Houston through the Houston Zoo. This issue, we highlight a look the Galápagos tortoise at the zoo. Look for other upcoming conservation stories so that you too can help save a species.

The giant Galápagos tortoise population has more than tripled at the Houston Zoo and guests can now see them in the first major exhibit of its kind to showcase the remarkable wildlife of the legendary island chain, Galápagos Islands at the Houston Zoo. No place on our planet better exemplifies the wonders of unique species, the delicate balance of ecosystems, or the pressing need for conservation action more than the Galápagos. Straddling the equator more than 500 miles off the coast of Ecuador, the isolated archipelago is among the most fascinating places on Earth.

The islands are home to many species that have uniquely adapted to the region. About 97% of the reptiles and land mammals, 80% of the land birds, and more than 30% of the plants found there are endemic, meaning they are found nowhere else.

Perhaps the best-known of the islands’ extraordinary species are its giant tortoises, which can reach up to 150 years old and have inhabited the islands for more than a million years. Many of the tortoises at the Houston Zoo are direct offspring of a tortoise that came to the Houston Zoo in 1928 as a part of a conservation action initiated by the Bronx Zoo.

For almost three decades, Houston Zoo staff have been traveling to the Galápagos Islands to support Galápagos National Park scientists and to strengthen community-based conservation efforts in the archipelago. The Zoo also supports Galápagos-run research and conservation awareness programs, focused on giant tortoise ecology, wildlife protection and ocean plastic waste removal and mitigation. Additionally, the Houston Zoo provides funding and support for the monitoring of satellitetagged giant Galápagos tortoises. The Zoo’s staff also participates in giant tortoise field studies and have provided local conservation professionals with leadership and tortoises health training in Galápagos.

Despite the islands' isolation, small human population, and protected status as a national park and marine preserve, the Galápagos ecosystem is threatened by many of the challenges faced by environments worldwide: over-exploitation of natural resources, invasive species, ocean pollution and climate change.

Houstonians can help save Galápagos tortoises in the wild by visiting the new Galápagos Islands at the Houston Zoo exhibit, where giant Galápagos tortoises lumber about, graze on grasses or wallow in muddy puddles. The tortoise habitat is designed to facilitate up-close encounters so guests can gain an enhanced appreciation for these magnificent behemoths. A portion of each membership and admission ticket goes toward supporting con- servation programs in the Galápagos Islands.

The community can also help protect the giant Galápagos tortoises by keeping our shared ocean clean. By making environmentally friendly choices while shopping, from reusable materials to US fished/sustainable seafood, people can help reduce threats to animals.

Impacts we create on the ocean in Houston can travel and be felt worldwide.

By: Michelle Mantor