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Galapagos Islands

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Lonnie | 22:20 Sun 08th Oct 2006 | Animals & Nature
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I just watchd 'Lonesome George and the battle for the Galapagos Islands',

What we people are doing to those Ilands, and the effect on the wildlife is disgusting and criminal, a lot worse than the rain forest, and thats bad enough.

Did anyone else see it?.
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Lonnie, I was really interested in your post but couldn't reply as I didn't see that particular programme. I have been watching the Galapagos on Friday and another one on Saturday with the diver Tanya someone or other... It seems to be the 'in' place at the moment, doesn't it?

Are the islands being overun with tourists now and they are perhaps upsetting the balance? This is just guesswork, so I would love to know a bit more about the programme that made you so angry.
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Hi Cetti,
Thanks for answering, i've been watching that one too, but this one, okay, we know what happened in the past, people didn't know better then, and 'Lonesome George', a Giant Tortoise, is the last of his race, whan he dies, they are extinct, but thats a legacy of the past, and I can live with that.

You mention tourists, they bring disease, but thats only part of it, what made me angry and upset, almost physically so, was the fact of the residents, which are increasing at a phenomenal rate.

They are stripping the islands of its life, for trade in the far East, their greed is without thought or reason, they almost made the Sea Cucumbers extinct, and are now going after the Sharks, for their fins, plus other species, and unless they are stopped, the whole ecology of the region will collapse, with the consequences reaching out globally.

There is no end to it, and these islands, after watching the Friday programme, are a not just a window into the past, but as said on the programme, a conveyer belt of creation, and as such, have to be preserved.

There are Rangers there, but the residents are on the point of taking no notice of them, and it loks as if violence is about to break out.

You can draw parrallels with the Rainforests, and each are equally important, but for different reasons.



Oh Lonnie, how truly dreadful!

I wonder how many people are like me not being aware that the islands were populated? It just shows you that the programme makers give us just the bits they want us to see and not the real truth! As soon as you mentioned shark's fins I knew it had to be the Japanese and Far East market that was involved. They will go to any lengths to secure their sickening wares, no matter what the cost to wildlife and ecology. Is there anything we can do or anyone we can lobby, do you think? It's just not possible to let this go, is it?
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It came as a surprise to me also, that they were populated, they are mainly Ecuadorians,
I don't know what, if anything, is being done, apart from the rangers, who are, in the most part, inneffectual, but i'm trying to find out,
The fact that the residents have threatned to kill 'Lonesome George', if they are not given a free hand, to harvest whatever creatures they want, mainly the Sharks, and Sea Cucumbers, for China and other Far Eastern countries, shows that they have know appreciation of the consequences of what they are doing.

I'm certainly not going to let this go, I want to find out as much as I can, and I do, i'll post back.
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This link is worth reading, a bit losg, but if you can, bear with it, its worth it.

http://www.darwinfoundation.org/articles/aaas0 0009601.html
Hi Lonnie!
I thought of you this morning - were your ears burning? The 'Galapogos' DVD I ordered form Amazon weeks ago came this morning, and guess what, there's an extra film on it called 'Lonesome George' so now I'll be able to see exactly what made you so upset. Just thought you'd like to know.
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Hi Cetti, not so much this morning, but I did think of you, and this post when you answered my 'Tongues ' post.

I know you watched the 'Galapagos' when it was on the box, so you'll enjoy that, is it 'Lonesome George and the Battle for the Glapagos Islands'?, because if it is, you'll see exactly what I meant, and in order to get what they want, the residents have even threatned to kill him.

But what this programme put accross to me, was the sheer greed of the human race, like never before, and it actually made me ashamed to belong.

These people have no need to live there. I didn't realise it was on dvd, Amazon here I come.
Hi Lonnie!

What on earth is going on with this site? I've only just been able to find this Q and you've turned orange - the Birds topic has disappeared, so where do we post now? Tragic!

Anyway, I watched 'Lonesome George' this afternoon and found it both horrifying and uplifting at the same time. George's keeper has a very encouraging outlook and the other Rangers seem keen to keep their islands pristine, but look what they are up against? Fisherman are threatening to replace the destroyed goats on the islands and the tourists are bringing pests and diseases which could threaten the whole eco-system. What a mess, they all have to pull in the same direction not against one another! Still, opening up the green areas for food to sustain the 30,000 population is encouraging, so is teaching the school children about their unique island and habitats, so it's not all negative. Getting red of the Far Eastern obsession with aphrodisiacs would be the best present for the Islands future, don't you think?
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Hi Cetti,, thanks for coming back on this, Yes, everything is true what you say, I just think, and it may be the way it was filmed, that it shows the greed of man, more than most documentaries show.

As for this site, its all sub sections now, if you click on the word topics they all show up, also, all the answersd by whoever posts the original quwstion, is now highlighted.

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