Over the last twenty-five years, I have often visited giant tortoises at their last great refuge on Isa-bela, the largest island in the Galapagos. About 4,500 of the venerable reptiles still roam the island, especially near the dormant volcanoes in the central and northern regions. No one knows just how long Galapagos tortoises may live in the wild, although two hundred years may not be uncommon. Some of those now living may well have been youngsters when Charles Darwin visited the "enchanted isles" in 1835. About six years ago, I camped out at Alcedo Volcano for several weeks to document the lives of the tortoises on film. I started each day sitting on the caldera rim, watching the giants slumber in a shallow rain pond.
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