A short summary of your project
I'm raising £1,000 to be able to travel to Kefalonia, Greece, where I will be volunteering for Wildlife Sense, a sea turtle research and conservation organisation.
About Me
My name is Josh, and I study Biological Sciences at the University of Essex.
I have always had an interest in animals, having also previously volunteered for my local veterinary centre and an aquarium in the US.
I would love the opportunity to go to Kefalonia and help out. I pride myself in trying as much as possible in life, and this is another great experience that would help me develop as a person, as well as helping out these beautiful animals.
About Wildlife sense
Wildlife Sense is a sea turtle research & conservation organization based on the beautiful island of Kefalonia, Greece. Its mission is to protect endangered sea turtles and their natural habitats, offer a unique learning experience to the volunteers who join its efforts, and promote public awareness. Every year, sea turtles migrate to Kefalonia to forage and reproduce. Female turtles lay their eggs on the sandy beaches of the island. They make significant efforts to find the most suitable locations for their nests, but human and natural threats damage and destroy many eggs. The turtles themselves are regularly injured or killed by accidental boat strikes, entrapment in fishing gear, or after swallowing plastics. These threats push the sea turtles of Kefalonia closer to the brink of extinction.
As part of the team, the volunteers will survey the beaches of Kefalonia to find and protect sea turtle nests. The survey teams cycle to the beaches in the early morning, walk along the golden sand looking for fresh turtle nests, then then mark, measure, and protect all nests that were laid during the previous night. The primary goal is to protect sea turtle nests against accidental damage and monitor their progress throughout incubation to the hatching stage. As the young turtles hatch, they do their best to protect them from light pollution and assure they can safely crawl to the sea.
Funds
I will be fundraising for a total of £1,000. This would include:
- Programme fee (accommodation/food) : £450
- Flights and transport: £400
- Personal expenses (clothing etc) : £150
I will also be going to Costa Rica in July, and any extra money raised from this project will be used to gain valuable experience with Turtles in Costa Rica before the conservation work in Greece.
Find Me here
I will likely be making regular updates about the project on my facebook. The link to my profile is below:
https://www.facebook.com/josh.pike.370
If you wish to find out more about the organisation I will be volunteering for, please click on the following link:
https://wildlifesense.com/en/kefalonia/
Thank you for your support!
