WILD ADVENTURES SHELL OF A TRIP HELPING HANDS Three more ways to get your voluntourism on.
Whale shark week
By Anna Kantilaftas
M
y feet are covered in blisters, every inch of my body aches and I’m excreting so much sweat I can no longer tell if my clothes are wet from rain, sea spray or bodily fluids. And yet not a single part of me wants to see the end of this eight-day Biosphere Expeditions jaunt. We’re pacing a stretch of sand at Pacuare beach in the Costa Rican province of Limón, working with a team of scientists, research assistants and volunteers from Latin American Sea Turtles (LAST). Our accommodation is a small science station only accessible by boat. To get here, we travelled along the canals of Tortuguero, framed by lush, green rainforests. Drifting towards the place we would call home for the coming week, we kept a keen eye to spot caiman, spider, howler and capuchin monkeys, green macaws, sloths and jaguars. On reaching the station, we’re immediately welcomed by the crashing sounds of the Caribbean Sea. It’s this seven-kilometre stretch we will walk each night in four-hour shifts to find leatherback, green and hawksbill turtles before poachers do. This season, poachers have killed 22 turtles. Sea turtle eggs, believed to be an aphrodisiac, are collected and sold on the black market, while
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green and hawksbill turtles are also traded for their meat and shells. The result is a diminishing population, with almost all species of sea turtles appearing on the endangered species list. Climate change, habitat damage, pollution, sand erosion, light pollution and fishing also play a part. On our second day, a nest hatches and, as the sun sets, seven baby turtles are released as we stand by and watch them drag their tiny bodies into the ocean. More than 180 turtles have laid their 80-egg nests on the beach this season (May to November), and 7,570 hatchlings have been released, yet only one in 1,000 will reach sexual maturity. Despite the insurmountable odds, the experience is hopeful and the excitement infectious. It’s two more hot, drizzly nights before I come face to tail with a leatherback. It’s approximately 9pm when our group leader knocks on the door whisper-shouting, “Ladies, come quick! There’s a turtle out front!” I sprint out to the beach. Standing in the moonlight I’m overcome with emotion. The leatherback gracefully goes about her duty and, as her flippers sprinkle sand across her nest, camouflaging it to protect her babies, I try to recall a time where I have experienced more beauty. I struggle to find one. And in that moment, with the sound of the waves crashing and her shell lit by the moon, every step of the week becomes entirely worth it. biosphere-expeditions.org
Big cat camp During a two-week trip to South Africa with African Conservation Experience and Global White Lion Protection Trust you’ll track and monitor white and tawny lions, remove snares from the bush and spend time with locals learning about their relationship with lions and other wild animals. conservationafrica.net
Koala comfort In the Lismore area of NSW, spend a day with Conservation Volunteers Australia helping to plant 3,500 gum trees by the end of next August with an aim to link koala habitats through farmland. Koalas are vulnerable in this area and these wildlife corridors will help protect them in the years to come. conservationvolunteers.org
COURTESY LATIN AMERICAN SEA TURTLES (TURTLE) / CARRIE HUTCHINSON (LION)
Take a walk with a turtle and find a new pace in Costa Rica.
They’re the biggest fish in the sea and considered vulnerable, but you can spend time in the Maldives helping with whale shark research. The Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme takes eight volunteers at a time, who collect data at sea, learn about marine conservation and find out about Maldivian culture. maldiveswhaleshark research.org