Galapagos National Park in Ecuador has reported record numbers of Red Book Galapagos penguins and cormorants. This is stated in the message of the park on the Facebook page.
As a result of a census estimate, there are now 2,290 flightless cormorants and 1,940 penguins on the Isabela and Fernandina Islands and the Marielas Islands. The park noted that 86% of the recorded birds are adults, which indicates the existence of a reproductive adult population.
Ecuadorian Minister of Environment and Water, Paulo Proagno, believes that such indicators indicate good health of birds and a positive result of the work of scientists and park rangers.
In June, Proagno reported that a 100-year-old male Galapagos tortoise named Diego was released after breeding in captivity, where he saved his species from extinction.
On February 2, conservationists discovered 30 giant tortoises in the Galapagos Islands – 11 males and 19 females. Reptiles descended from two extinct species – the Abingdon and the elephant turtle.