How One Young Explorer is Helping Galápagos

National Geographic Global Explorers program alumna Sophie came to the Galápagos at the age of seven to pursue her passion for wildlife. During a voyage brimming with incredible animal sightings, one particular encounter left a lasting impression—and inspired the young explorer to take action from her home halfway across the world.

Sophie

Meets George

When Sophie and her family boarded National Geographic Endeavour II for a 10-day adventure in the legendary wilds of Galápagos, they never imagined that the most impactful moment of their journey would happen inside the walls of the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS). “When I saw the preserved ‘Lonesome George,’ I was very sad!” says Sophie. “He was the last giant tortoise from Pinta Island. I could not believe that all the Pinta giant tortoises are now extinct because of humans.”

An Advocate for Animals

Sophie returned home to Switzerland prepared to make positive changes for the planet. She started with small fundraising initiatives— organizing a garage sale and asking for donations instead of presents for her birthday. In that first wave, she succeeded in raising $500.

Two years later, Sophie received the exciting news that she would return to Galápagos, so she stepped up her fundraising efforts for CDRS. She created a GoFundMe page, and by the time she left for Ecuador, Sophie had collected a total of $2,650.

A Very Special Delivery

When the team at CDRS heard about Sophie’s accomplishment, they invited her to deliver her donation in person and get a behind-thescenes look at their work. Sophie was also presented with a certificate of donation and learned that her contributions would help tag and monitor Galápagos penguins and assess the health of giant tortoises.

Sophie is more determined than ever to help conserve this fragile environment. She asked her mom to start a nonprofit association—together they launched Tunememi Conservancy to help raise awareness for species preservation. Sophie wants to continue doing her own fundraising for the Charles Darwin Foundation and dreams of one day becoming a scientist.