Galápagos tortoise not so lonesome

So the news is in that Lonesome George, the committed bachelor giant tortoise and famous icon of the Galápagos islands, might finally have succumbed to the womanly ways of one of his female companions.

Eggs have been found in a nest inside the tortoises’ enclosure on Santa Cruz island and park rangers are eagerly waiting to discover whether George has successfully fertilised them. Hatching, if it does occur, won’t take place for four months, so we’ve got a long wait until we find out whether George is infact a bit of a stud, and not such a loner after all. 

It’s been 36 celibate years since George was rescued (as the last surviving Pinta Island tortoise) and kept in captivity on Santa Cruz. Despite the increasingly desperate attempts of his rangers to get George ‘in the mood’ he just hasn’t wanted to know, and has spurned female companionship for a life of munching on undergrowth and posing grumpily for the constant stream of visitors who come to catch a glimpse of this icon of the natural world.

So what will happen if it emerges that George has in fact finally done the deed? Will he still deserve his lonely moniker? Will people still come and see him? Perhaps he will discover what he’s been missing out on all these years and become a bit of a playboy tortoise?

The fact remains that he is still the last remaining Pinta Island tortoise on our planet. But if the rumours are true, this might herald the start of a breeding programme (that could take over 100 years and several generations of tortoise) to breed another ‘pure’ Pinta Island tortoise.

George, your species needs you. Keep up the good work. 

Scary monsters and super creepy crawlies

We did a quick straw poll on our community website goWander.com to find out which animals scare people the most. While we nominated some obvious candidates (the great white shark, the crocodile, the brown bear) there were several shouts for the humble mosquito.

It’s not big and it’s certainly not clever, but your average mozzie carries a wealth of diseases with it. As a species, they transmit diseases to an estimated 700 million people a year, killing millions.

Yellow fever, dengue fever, you name it, they’ve got it. And, short of dressing in full body armour, for some people there’s just no way of combating them.

So while the big animals may grab the headlines, the mosquito is definitely a small but very significant contender for the world’s scariest animal crown.

Know of any good mosquito repellents? Let us know about them here

Uluru – to climb or not to climb?

Aboriginal elders have announced that they may impose a ban on visitors climbing Uluru (or Ayers Rock if you prefer) in response to the Australian government’s ‘intervention’ policy.

The stats have it that half of all visitors to the big red rock climb up it. A local guide told me that the biggest groups of climbers are Japanese, Germans and Australian men. In the last 30 year or so years, 35 people have died attempting to climb it. So why do people still do it and why do the local Anangu still allow it?

The answer to the former isn’t easy. There are signs all around the rock asking people to take the beliefs of the Anangu into account and not climb. But then there’s a guide chain attached to the rock itself.

There would undoubtedly be a drop in visitor numbers if a ban was imposed. How big a drop is a matter of debate.

But the Anangu, having leased the park back to the government, would feel the loss in revenue as well. So their threat is very much a political one. It’s ironic that it might take a political protest like this to force a change many think should happen anyway. But then that’s the way it is when you’re trying to balance what you as the local community wants and what visitors expect. Isn’t it?

Related links:
Aboriginal rock art in Arnhem Land

Zanzibar powers back up

The power’s come back on in Zanzibar, ending a saga that has dragged on for the best part of a month. How long it will stay on for isn’t exactly clear.

It took UN intervention to finally speed up the repair to an underwater cable that had died after a power surge. The diesel generators that went on in their stead were costing local businesses a small fortune.

Our sources told us that the smallest businesses were only putting their generators on for a few hours per day. The resulting darkness apparently gave the normally friendly islands a more sinister air.

Thankfully things are gradually returning to normal. Hopefully the smell of diesel is disappearing as fast as the visitors are returning.