Who is Fausto Llerena?
Fausto is one of the most experienced park rangers in Galapagos. He was part of the team that worked with the most successful project led by the Galapagos National Park Service.
In 1964, The Charles Darwin Research Station was established in The Galapagos was its first goal was to recover the Tortoise species and raised its numbers. The tortoises were almost extinct and the numbers around those early years were around 16.000 individuals approximately.
Nowadays we are very proud to say that we have reached 60.000 tortoises all over Galapagos but… How did it happened?
Fausto is an example of dedication and love to his job, more than working opportunity, it became a life goal.
Life in the Galapagos back in the 70s was amazing but not easy. The inhabitants on Santa Cruz Islands had almost no access to goods from the mainland, almost no electricity, limited amount of fresh water, accesible mainly during the rainy seasons. Imagine the lifestyle of park rangers in the field.
These gentlemen had the task to erradicate introduced plant species one by one with their hands, limited water during their stay on each Island and no communication like nowadays.
Fausto’s duty was to go from island to island and since he was part of the team working with tortoises, in many occasions when returning the juveniles back to their habitats, he had to carry them on his back for several kilometers on foot.
Like most ecuatorianas, Fausto came from mainland Ecuador. He is from Tungurahua province, part of the Ecuadorian Andes. In 1971 he joined the Park Service and he used to spent around one week on each Island erradicating goats and looking for Tortoise eggs to collect them and bring them back to Santa Cruz to be incubated.
In 1976 he joined the land iguana breeding project and soon after he was in charge of the one and only Lonesome George. Eventually this tortoise became the symbol of conservation for the Galapagos and Fausto was directly responsible for him.
Many trials and atemtpts took place to help Lonesome reproduce. All of them failed and Fausto was always there, all the stories he can tell.
Everyday he had to clean his corral and every day Lonesome George greeted him and said good bye and followed Fausto till the gate. One morning, in 2012, he didn’t show up and Fausto knew something was wrong. Lonesome George had passed away.
The news went all around the world. Nobody knew how Fausto felt. Everybody knew that Lonesome George was gone. One more species lost, he died of old age. Fausto lost a very close friend, he retired soon after.
Nowadsys he lives on the highland of Santa Cruz Island, taking care of his small property, growing his own food and dedicated to his other passion; carving tortoises on wood.
When you visit Santa Cruz and visit the Charles Darwin Station your guides will lead you around the Tortoise Breeding Center named Fausto Llerena.
