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I'm surprised to learn that animals like dogs (and I presume cats) are allowed on the Galapagos since there is so much at-risk fauna that is unique to those islands.

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I was surprised when I first went, the people that live there are allowed on 5 of the islands, with the largest island hosting the town of puerto ayora. The town has 10,000 people, and total population of the Galapagos is 30,000 and growing. It’s an interesting place as people move there from the mainland because of the money you can make in tourism, but immigration is tightly controlled due to the negative effect on nature as the towns expand.

People first started living in the Galapagos a long time ago, in the 1950s they consolidated everyone into the islands they live today. Interesting history for a place that you’d think was purely natural, but human civilization finds a way I suppose.

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