The Galápagos Islands are a group of volcanic islands located roughly 1,000 kilometres off the coast of Ecuador. They are known as one of the most amazing natural places in the world. Without the hard work of the national park rangers, however, this special environment could be seriously damaged.

Rangers have a lot of different responsibilities every day. They follow the movements of endangered animals, stop illegal fishing in the protected waters, and make sure that tourists stick to the rules of the park. If a visitor tried to touch or feed a wild animal, rangers would step in straight away and could give them a large fine. They are not afraid to stand up to powerful fishing companies, even when it is difficult and risky.

Many of the animals that rangers look after are only found on these islands. Giant tortoises nearly died out completely, but they have been slowly recovering thanks to conservation programmes. If rangers had not set up special breeding centres years ago, some species would have disappeared forever. They also keep an eye on Galápagos penguins, marine iguanas, fur seals, and many bird species including the blue-footed booby.

One of the biggest problems rangers face is dealing with animals and plants that do not belong on the islands. If these species are not kept under control, they can take over the habitat of native animals very quickly. Rangers regularly go out to find and remove them, and if they had more money, they could sort out these problems on a much bigger scale.

The Galápagos rangers are not just doing a job — they are looking after one of the last truly wild places on Earth. If we did not have people willing to take on this responsibility, the natural balance of the islands could be lost forever.