EALING: A volcano in the Galapagos Islands has erupted for the first time in more than 30 years, raising fears for the world’s only colony of pink iguanas.
The Galapagos National Park warned on Twitter that Isabela Island, where Wolf Volcano erupted at dawn, holds “the world’s only population” of the critically-endangered Conolophus marthae, also known as the Galapagos rosy iguana.
But the park later said the iguanas’ habitat on the volcano’s northwest side appeared to be out of danger. The iguanas, “which share the habitat with yellow iguanas and giant Chelonoidis becki tortoises, are situated on the northwest flank, which raises hopes that they will not be affected,” it said in a statement.
The fiery streams of lava that trickled down the volcano on Monday morning were on the opposite side, officials said. Pictures show bright lava streaming down the volcano as a puff of smoke rises into the air and tongues of fire dart from the crater.
