Lonesome George Returns Home

June 2012 was a sad day in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. It was the day, Lonesome George, a giant Galapagos land tortoise and the last of his species, passed away. George had become the symbol of conservation efforts in the Galapagos, and despite the many efforts to “encourage” George to mate, he remained celibate and “lonesome” to the last. With his passing, so passed the last of his kind.

But now George has returned home. On February 17th, Lonesome George was returned to the Charles Darwin Station and conservation center in Santa Cruz, Galapagos. His preserved body had spent the past year on display in New York at the American Museum of Natural History. He was 102 years old when he died.

Returning to the Galapagos, George will continue his conservation career as the centerpiece of the Symbol of Hope exhibit at the Charles Darwin Research Station. The exhibit includes the Tortoise Trail, a new walkway that takes visitors through the small tortoise breeding areas, continuing up to the new exhibit room.

The highlight of the renovation project is of course Lonesome George’s new home. The room can be visited from 8.00AM to 6.00PM every day, except on scheduled maintenance days. After visiting the room, visitors walk past the Galapagos giant tortoises’ area before entering the Station’s museum.

Goway Travel offers a wide range of cruise and tour options to the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, and other Central and South American destinations. Goway’s Central and South America Division is staffed by experts who specialize in everything Latin America.