Press Release from the Galapagos National Park and Charles Darwin Foundation

12 June 2003

Thanks to the support of the Ecuadorian Air Force, the Galapagos National Park Service (GNP) and the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) were able to repatriate 64 land iguanas to their original island - Baltra - on 12 June 2003.

The iguanas were transferred from the Breeding Centre of the GNP and the CDF in Puerto Ayora (Santa Cruz) to Baltra. The 64 iguanas were liberated by members of the 3 institutions. The return or repatriation of the land iguanas was done when the iguanas had reached the age of 5 years and a weight of more than 400 grams, so as to make sure that they are strong enough to survive in the wild, especially from the introduced species that could threaten their life, for example, cats and rats.

Land iguanas disappeared from Baltra in the 1940s due to the impact of human activity and the presence of introduced species such as goats, dogs and rats. Luckily, before this happened, at the beginning of the 1930s an American scientific expedition realised that the prospects for the Baltra iguanas were not good and transferred 70 individuals to North Seymour where there were no land iguanas or introduced species to compete with the iguanas for food or space.

In 1980 a pair of iguanas was transferred from North Seymour to the Breeding Centre on Santa Cruz. In 1985, 8 more iguanas were transferred to the Centre. The immediate objective was to reproduce iguanas in captivity in order to save part of the gene bank of the population and eventually repopulate Baltra with the descendants of the original population to re-establish the fauna of the island. In 1991, thanks to an agreement signed with the Ecuadorian Air Force, the GNP and the CDF, repatriation of land iguanas to Baltra started.

Some interesting facts:

• Baltra was a United States military base during the Second World War. Currently it is the only island which is not part of the Galapagos National Park; it belongs to the Ecuadorian Air Force.
• In January 2002, 26 new iguanas were repatriated to Baltra and an agreement was signed to protect the iguanas of Baltra. The agreement was made between the Ecuadorian Air Force, the GNP and CDF and the people who are responsible for the transport methods on Baltra.
• To date, with the 64 iguanas currently repatriated on 12 June, there are now 184 land iguanas in Baltra.
• The PNG and the CDF, with the support of the Ecuadorian Air Force, are undertaking research to control rodents and eradication of cats to completely restore the ecosystem of the island.

For further information on these and other articles, visit
Charles Darwin Research Station

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