A Turtle Volunteer's Diary, 2008 (13)
Goodbye and Thanks
Time has come for the volunteers to pack up and return home
5th July - 12th July - 19th July - 26th July - 2nd August - 9th August - 16th August
23rd August - 30th August - 6th September - 13th September - 20th September - 27th September - 2009 Diary - 2010 Diary
Information about the turtles of Cyprus, their nesting, and hatching
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