SPR
Well-Known Member
We woke on the morning of 22nd May 2019 at Santiago Island at Puerto Egas Galápagos
At 0500 we boarded the inflatables and headed for the beach for a ‘wet’ landing.
A bit of background on this place, Santiago actually consists of two coalesced volcanoes: a typical shield volcano on the northwest end and a low, linear fissure volcano on the southeast end. Life is abundant near the shore. Lava lizards are common on many parts of Santiago, as well as the other islands. Marine iguanas and lots of sally light-foot crabs are around, along with Galápagos penguin, blue-footed boobies, and the lava heron.
Vegetation in the interior of the island had been decimated by feral goats, estimated to number as many as 50,000 or more. Goats have inhabited Santiago since at least 1813 when Caption Porter of the USS Essex allowed four of them to escape. The resulting loss of food sources threatens not only the native vegetation but the native animals such as the giant tortoise and land iguana as well.
In 2001 they started goat eradication, and by 2005 the last feral goat was removed from Santiago Island and they used Judas Goats as well
As goats are social animals, sterilised Judas goats, fitted with radio collars and then released into the population, would seek out the remaining feral goats, allowing them to be located through radio telemetry and then eliminated.
At 0500 we boarded the inflatables and headed for the beach for a ‘wet’ landing.
A bit of background on this place, Santiago actually consists of two coalesced volcanoes: a typical shield volcano on the northwest end and a low, linear fissure volcano on the southeast end. Life is abundant near the shore. Lava lizards are common on many parts of Santiago, as well as the other islands. Marine iguanas and lots of sally light-foot crabs are around, along with Galápagos penguin, blue-footed boobies, and the lava heron.
Vegetation in the interior of the island had been decimated by feral goats, estimated to number as many as 50,000 or more. Goats have inhabited Santiago since at least 1813 when Caption Porter of the USS Essex allowed four of them to escape. The resulting loss of food sources threatens not only the native vegetation but the native animals such as the giant tortoise and land iguana as well.
In 2001 they started goat eradication, and by 2005 the last feral goat was removed from Santiago Island and they used Judas Goats as well
As goats are social animals, sterilised Judas goats, fitted with radio collars and then released into the population, would seek out the remaining feral goats, allowing them to be located through radio telemetry and then eliminated.
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