Cheeky finch knows he is too adorable to resist

The Galapagos Islands are home to an abundance of wildlife. Cut off from the rest of the world by the great distance between land masses, life here has not only thrived, it has adapted and become extremely unique. This is a finch that lives on San Cristobal Island. Descended from finches that were studied by Charles Darwin almost 200 years ago, they provided clues to our world that led to his theories of evolution. This dramatically changed our understanding of the world, our origins, and our view of ourselves.

Unaware that his species has provided such an important contribution to humanity, he hops happily onto an outdoor breakfast table, mere feet from two Canadian tourists who are also enjoying breakfast. Cheekily, he stares at them and then boldly hops onto the bread basket for his share of the feast. The birds here have few predators and they have learned that humans will not harm them. For this reason, their level of trust is high. The people of the Galapagos Islands are committed to preserving nature and all species of animals on the islands, but they also believe firmly that they cannot interfere with nature, even in seemingly positive ways. They strongly discourage feeding the animals under any circumstances and they discourage tourists from doing the same.

Although this adorable little fellow was too cute to resist, his feasting was kept to a minimum and he was gently sent on his way after a few crumbs.
These birds feed on seeds and small insects. Processed food such as bread can adversely affect the balance of nutrients in their diets. Feeding the animals can also change their behavior, leading them to a dependence on humans for survival. Upsetting the balance of nature by allowing a species to overpopulate can also have unpredictable consequences for other species.

The inhabitants of the Galapagos Islands have the utmost respect for nature, and for this balance, and they wisely tell us that nature does not need, or welcome help from humans.

As hard as it is not to feed the animals, this is advice worth heeding.