TO GO WITH AFP STORY by Florence PANOUSSIAN and VIDEO by Juan RESTREPO
Aerial view of Puerto Ayora in Santa Cruz Island, in the Galapagos Islands, some 900 km off the coast of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean, taken on April 15, 2021. - When the coronavirus pandemic arrived in South America, human activity on the Galapagos Islands ground almost to a halt, leaving giant tortoises, iguanas and other endemic species to themselves. A four-month lockdown from February last year after COVID-19 was first detected on the continent resulted in a total hiatus for tourism and near complete shutdown of scientific activity. (Photo by Rodrigo BUENDIA / AFP)