Emptyknitster

  Sierra Negra Volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in the Galapagos,  in fact the park had just reopened after a recent eruption. Its caldera is the second largest in the world with a diameter of six miles. After our hike we continued on to the Turtle Breeding Center. The National Park's conservation program is working hard to save the Galapagos Tortoise which is on the brink of extinction.  It is thought once there were 250,00 tortoises on the island but there were less than 20,000 when the breeding center began. A few weeks before our visit there were 123 baby tortoises stolen from the breeding center and listed for sale on internet, The asking price was $5000, When asked why they don't go after the sellers we were told that there are no identifying marks or chips on the babies so they can't prove the tortoises were from the center. They are now installing cameras and working on a ways to identify each tortoise. Sadly, the center's manager spoke out abou