Volcanic Eruption In Galapagos Islands Threatens Giant Tortoises
May 31, 2008 7:33 a.m. EST
Nidhi Sharma - AHN News Writer
Quito, Ecuador (AHN) - Rare 100-year-old giant tortoises are threatened after a giant volcano on the largest of the Galapagos islands erupted and began spewing molten lava.
After remaining dormant for about a decade, the 5,541-feet- (1,690-meter-) high Cerro Azul mountain volcano on Isabela Island began erupting on Thursday, officials with the Galapagos National Park said in a statement. The volcano's molten lava was mostly spewed on the north-east side of the island which is a habitat of large population of tortoises.
Eliecer Cruz, the islands' governor and a conservationist says if there is real danger to the lives of the tortoises, they might have to airlift the animals. However the minister said that he would let nature take its course and wait for the flow to stop.
The Galapagos Giant Tortoise weighs more than 500 pounds (230 kilos) and live more than 100 years.
The Galapagos islands are part of Ecuador and lie 600 miles west of the South American mainland.
There are five active volcanos on Isabela, including Sierra Negra, which erupted in October 2006. Cerro Azul last erupted in 1998.
