Ecuador officials: Galapagos volcano eruption could threaten wildlife

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A volcano erupting in the Galapagos Islands could harm unique wildlife, Ecuador officials said Saturday. The Galapagos National Park said La Cumbre volcano began spewing lava, gas and smoke on uninhabited Fernandina Island on Saturday after four years of inactivity. The park said in a statement the eruption was not a threat to people living on nearby Isabela Island, but that lava flowing to the sea would likely affect marine and terrestrial iguanas, wolves and other fauna. The Galapagos are home to unique animal and plant species that became the basis for Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.