If you know me a little bit, it's no surprise that I'm dedicating an entire article to turtles. I just LOVE them. As you can imagine, stumbling upon a turtle hatchery (ASVO) in Montezuma, Costa Rica, felt like a dream come true. So, if you'd love to work with turtles one day, keep reading, because I'll share my experiences and the importance of protecting these lovely creatures.
Why turtle conservation matters
Honestly, the fact that I can tell everyone my job for two weeks was working with cute little baby turtles makes me feel like I've already won at life. But, if your love for turtles is not enough, the existence of sea turtles is important for many reasons. They have a huge impact on the health of the corals and the ocean in general. They provide a home for other species (you often see some fish attached to their shells, it's kind of funny), maintaining diversity as they transport them on their long journeys.
Unfortunately, turtles face numerous threats, including climate change, habitat loss, pollution, and human interference. From getting caught in fishing nets to eating plastic, these guys are struggling to survive. Oh, and as much as I love having a good sing by a bonfire on the beach, please, please, please be aware that you might burn a nest of baby turtles underneath. So make sure it's a turtle-free beach.
Behind the scenes
Volunteering with ASVO was surprisingly easy. We simply got to talk with some volunteers on the beach while they were releasing baby turtles into the ocean. They introduced us to the person in charge, we had a little chat, and everything was arranged for us to start the next day. While there was a fee involved, the opportunity to make a difference outweighed any costs. However, if you're a low-budget backpacker like me, you might want to contact them directly instead of involving any other organization. Some other co-volunteers arranged everything in advance from their home countries and ended up paying much more.
So, what does a turtle day look like?
First of all, we lived in a cozy house near the beach with about ten people from different countries. They took good care for us, providing three delicious Costa Rican meals every day. Each morning, we checked the day's schedule to see our shift times and duties. If I was lucky, it wasn't my turn to clean the bathroom. During our free time, we hung out together on the beach, visited waterfalls, and did some beach clean-ups. It was heartbreaking to see how many bags of trash we could collect each time.
There are two types of three-hours shifts: patrolling the beach and guarding the hatchery.
During the patrolling shift, we walked along the beach at night in search of nesting mama turtles. Witnessing these mammas make a nest in the sand and lay their eggs was truly magical. We carefully counted the eggs and relocated them to the hatchery. We learned how to mimic the process of a mama turtle making a nest and let me tell you, it’s quite the arm workout.
Guarding the hatchery involved checking the nests every fifteen minutes with our red lights to ensure no crabs or other creatures tried to invade. If a nest hatched, we released the little babies into the ocean. Even if I released those little cuties into the ocean daily, each time remained such a beautiful and special moment. Plus, the shifts took place during the evening or night, allowing us to witness stunning sunrises or gaze at the incredible starry skies.
Writing this article and reliving this experience fills my heart with so much joy. It’s a reminder of the deep connection we share with our beautiful planet and the importance to protect it. I may sound cheesy, but it would be so beautiful if we could make this earth a place where turtles can live freely without accidently eating a plastic bag.
How can you help?
I can already tell what you're thinking, I know we can't fix everything ourselves, we need changes from higher up. But instead of ignoring it, we can take action. First of all, I think it's important to pause and reflect on the size of our environmental footprint, so we know where we can make changes. Here's a footprint test.
There are many things we can do, such as educating ourselves, reducing the use of plastic, participating in beach-clean ups, volunteering or supporting organizations like ASVO or WWF. Everyone can contribute to turtle conservation and make a difference.
Last but not least, here are 10 things you should know about sea turtles:
𓇼 There are seven different species of sea turtles: leatherbacks, green turtles, loggerheads, hawksbills, olive ridleys, kemp’s ridleys and flatbacks.
𓇼 Only one out of every thousand hatched turtles survives to adulthood (I refused to believe it, until I saw the last one taken away by a bird… I cried).
𓇼 The temperature in the nest determines the gender, with warmer temperatures typically resulting in females, how crazy is nature?!
𓇼 They're some of the longest-living reptiles on Earth.
𓇼 Sea turtles must come to the surface to breathe, yet they can hold their breath for hours.
𓇼 They communicate with their turtle buddies through vibrations.
𓇼 They play a crucial role in marine ecosystems because of their feeding habits.
𓇼 When a mama turtle is ready to lay her eggs, she returns to the same beach where she was born. That’s why it’s so important to let the baby turtle make a though walk to the ocean in stead of placing them directly into the water.
𓇼 Sea turtles are incredible travelers, capable of swimming thousands of miles.
𓇼 In ancient mythologies, sea turtles symbolize wisdom, longevity, and protection.
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