The goats and some other invasive herbivores were completely removed by the Galapagos National Park in 2007, but a devastated landscape no longer fit to sustain Floreana’s native wildlife was left in their wake.Ĭonservation work is now focused on restoring healthy populations of Galapagos racers (snakes), hawks, barn owls, rails, three species of finch, and most notably, the Floreana Mockingbird. Of all the Galapagos Islands, Floreana is the one most altered by the presence of humans and invasive feral goats. Transportation to and from Floreana is very limited, with a boat from Santa Cruz Island arriving, on average, every two weeks. The main water source for Floreana is a natural pond that fills up with rain water during the rainy season during droughts water problems can become quite serious for the population. The majority of Floreana residents make their living by farming. Read more about Floreana’s intriguing history.
They built a house and also established an agricultural lifestyle before giving birth to their son Rolf, the first person to be born in Galapagos.įloreana is most well-known for being the site of several mysterious disappearances in the 1930s-the one receiving the most attention being that of a supposed Austrian baroness, who had arrived shortly after the Wittmers with her three servants. Together, they set up a very successful garden and lived off the land.Ī pregnant Margret Wittmer arrived in 1932, with her husband Heinz and her step-son Harry. A doctor of holistic medicine, Ritter removed all of his teeth and took with him stainless-steel dentures to avoid any dental complications. A few years later, Friedrich Ritter, a German doctor, arrived with his female companion Dore Strauch, who suffered from multiple sclerosis. A fish canning plant was established there by Norwegian immigrants in 1924 it lasted only a couple of years. It was a penal colony that didn’t last long because of the lack of fresh water.
It is the site of the first “post office”, established in 1793 by whalers, and it was the home to the first Galapagos resident - a bold Irishman named Patrick Watkins who lived there from 1807-1809.įloreana was the first island to be colonized by Ecuadorians in 1832. Human Population: approximately 100 HISTORYįloreana Island has, arguably, the most interesting human history of all of the Galapagos Islands.
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