 |
| Lonesome George |
Lonesome George has died. I like to think that he moved from Paradise on Earth to another kind of Paradise.
I’ve been to the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island at least 100 times. Each time George drew me in with his big
black/brown sleepy eyes and his long neck. As he dawdled in the leaves, lumbered to his watering hole and lazed in the sun or shade, I wondered about him. Obviously he didn't think in words; neither English nor Spanish popped into his brain. But I observed that he experienced something, interacting with his surroundings, making decisions and providing sustenance for himself. He never seemed phased by our staring at him or studying him. He didn't seem to mind when we became paparazzi and took his picture for posterity.
I’ve been to the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island at least 100 times. Each time George drew me in with his big black/brown sleepy eyes and his long neck. As he dawdled in the leaves, lumbered to his watering hole and lazed in the sun or shade, I wondered about him. Obviously he didn't think in words; neither English nor Spanish popped into his brain. But I observed that he experienced something, interacting with his surroundings, making decisions and providing sustenance for himself. He never seemed phased by our staring at him or studying him. He didn't seem to mind when we became paparazzi and took his picture for posterity.