A volunteer's Diary, 2008 (13)
Goodbye and Thanks
Time has come for the volunteers to pack
up and return home
SADLY it is almost time for
us to pack up and say
goodbye to Alagadi, our
beloved Goatshed, and all
the hatchlings which we
hope are now somewhere out in the
Mediterranean munching on sea
grass (or, in the loggerheads’ case,
jellyfish). Although not so much
turtle-filled any more, our days are
still fairly hectic as we clear away all
of our equipment from the beaches,
tidy up our living quarters, and
tackle the mammoth task of sorting
and entering all of this season’s
information on to our databases. One
of my favourite jobs of late has also
been attempting to use up all of the
leftover ingredients in the cupboards
by making interesting concoctions
and getting my fellow volunteers to
sample them!
To summarise, this year's
nesting season has been brilliant for
green turtles, especially at our
Alagadi base where we have had a
high amount of activity with a total
of 65 green nests being laid.
Loggerhead activity, however, has
been less than usual but has still
resulted in a good total of 44 nests.
Our Alagadi hatchling total stands
at more than 6,000, with an average
clutch success rate of 64 per cent.
Average success for nests laid on the
western beaches was 51 per cent, for
the north beaches 44 per cent and for
Karpaz 66 per cent.
The Karpaz beaches have also
had both the highest amount of
nesting turtles (241) and the highest
amount of general turtle activity
(981 cases). Of all the beaches we
monitor, Ronnas has again been the
most important, with a total of 119
nests being laid there this year.
Thanks to the continual efforts of
volunteers at our Alagadi base, we
are pleased to say that there was no
single incidence of predation on this
beach. Sadly, however, around 18
per cent of the nests laid on our west
and north beaches were either
partially or totally predated due to
the numerous stray dogs and other
predators roaming the beaches.
A few of our volunteers this year
were able to visit the Kyrenia
Animal Rescue (KAR) centre in the
Besparmak mountains, where
visitors can exercise the rescue dogs
on the stunning mountain trails. As
well as rehoming and sponsorship,
the centre also carries out routine
neutering of both cats and dogs, an
important step towards reducing the
occurrence of predation of not only
our turtle nests, but of other species
endemic to North Cyprus. The KAR
centre in Besparmak is open every
day from 9am-lpm, and there is also
a helpline on 0533 869 4098.
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Volunteer Tom and the Karpaz Firemen |
Many years ago and then once
again this year, volunteers working
out at the Karpaz have been kindly
put up by the fire station and a big
thank you must go out to them for all
their hospitality, friendliness and
generosity. Next year it is hoped that
we will have the funds to develop a
more permanent base nearer to the
beaches where our field work is
carried out Maybe one day we will
even be able to have an information
centre out there too!
A final big thank you is reserved
for all the individuals who have
supported the project this year,
either through helping to raise
funds, visiting our information
centre, coming along to the public
excavations, or attending one of the
many turtle fundraisers held this
season.
Our most recent fundraising
event was the kebab night held at
Deks bar and restaurant near Yeni
Erenkoy in the Karpaz. The winners
of the grand prize from the raffle (a
holiday donated by Sirocco holidays)
were Sylvie and Gordon, with others
winning prizes such as Scuba try-dives (donated by Blue Dolphin and Mephisto). There are still two prizes
yet to be claimed, however — the
ticket numbers are 1226 and 0209 so
please check yours in case you are
one of the lucky winners! So far the
event has helped raise an impressive
sum of more than 1,600YTL for the
turtle project, all thanks to Denise
and her many helpers! Continual
fundraising is vital in order for the
project to keep running, and without
the help of such individuals, and the
likes of the tireless people working at
the North Cyprus Society for the
Protection of Turtles (SPOT), this
would be a much harder job.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my
time spent volunteering with the
Marine Turtle Conservation Project
over the past two months and have
had the opportunity to develop many
new skills and meet an interesting
bunch of people. I recommend it to
anyone with a passion for
conservation and adventure!
On that note, it’s goodbye from
everyone here at the turtle project
and we hope, to see you all again
next year! If in the meantime you
would like to find out more about
our organisation and the project,
please go to
www.seaturtle.org/mtrg
where there are also links to sites
showing the migratory routes and
areas where our tagged satellite
turtles have ventured!
Diary by Lauren Finka
Reprinted from Cyprus Today |