Transcript

Goats compete with tortoises

DR. DAVID ROBINSON

When Darwin visited the Galápagos, almost every island was crowded with wildlife. Most large islands had their own species of tortoise, which could be identified by the distinctive shape of its shell. Today, some of these species are extinct, and on some islands, the tortoises are limited to nature reserves. The problem is people. Settlers to the islands have brought in farm animals and other nonnative species, which have had a devastating effect on native habitats. The tortoises, which gave the Galápagos Islands their name, have found themselves sharing their food with wild goats, the descendants of animals brought into the Galápagos by Ecuadorian fisherman and British pirates. The tortoises don't have the same reach as the goats. They're happy with handouts in the tortoise sanctuary, but find it harder to compete in the wild. On the island of Isabela, for example, at one stage, the goat population reached a staggering 50,000, and the national park authorities had to begin an eradication programme.

MICHAEL BLIEMSRIEDER

Eradication programme, in this case, means just get out and shoot these goats either by foot or by helicopter, or who knows, but we have to kill them so the vegetation can have a chance to recover.

DR. DAVID ROBINSON

By 2002, Isabela was cleared of its goat problem, and scientists were cautiously optimistic that the tortoises might be able to reclaim their territory.