The Galapagos Island was Charles Darwin’s laboratory. It was here that he developed his germinal work – Origin of Species. Now, the islands are threatened by one of man’s oldest scourge – the mosquito.

 

Leeds University researcher Simon Goodman and his colleagues believe that stowaway disease carrying mosquitoes brought aboard tourist ships and planes are a real and present danger for the Galapagos wildlife. Their studies show that the southern house mosquito or Culex quinquefasciatus are spreading in increasing numbers. And genetic studies confirm that the mosquitoes are surviving, breeding and spreading through the different islands of the archipelago.

 

The mosquito is a carrier of avian malaria, avian pox and West Nile fever.

 

The scary part is that there already is a precedent for the fear being voiced. In the late 19th century, Hawaii was the target of these very mosquitoes. Brought to Hawaii in water barrels on whaling ships, these mosquitoes spread and wiped out most of Hawaii’s bird species. For instance, only 19 out of 42 species and subspecies of honeycreeper now remain in Hawaii.

 

Mosquitoes are not the only threat. Rats, wild pigs, flies and encroaching plants are spreading throughout the islands. With the spread of the lucrative tourism industry, the spread of such disease carrying organisms could be difficult to halt. Although precautions like insecticide spraying on aircraft flying to the Galapagos take place, the probability of disease broadcasting is very high.

 

Is it a tragedy waiting to happen?