Sea turtle nesting research

Project name:

Latin American Sea Turtles (LAST)

Project purpose:

The project is located a remote Caribbean beach in Costa Rica. It covers 7.1 km of coastline surrounded by tropical rain forest and several coastal lagoons and palm swamp forests.The area is not only unique in every way, but is also a famous nesting site for many Leatherback, Hawksbill and Green sea turtles that come ashore to lay their eggs. Illegal egg poaching and hunt for sea turtles, pollution and beach erosion are threatening the survival of the already critically endangered Sea Turtles in Pacuare. This has caused an alarming decline in turtles being born on this beach. In particular the 7.1 km covered by the project, for it has no legal protection whatsoever. Volunteers play a very important role in changing the population status of the turtles.

Project activities:

  • animal interaction

  • community awareness

  • data collection/analysis

Weekly cost (approx USD):

$

280

Marine

Costa Rica

Central America

1 Ratings

1

Direct benefits you gain:

  • cultural integration

  • field research skills

  • remote scenic location

Noteworthy conservation points:

  • contributes to environmental policy

  • development goals (supporting local community)

  • ethical rehabilitation centre/practices

  • publishes peer-reviewed science

  • publishes work

Accommodation:

volunteers stay in shared dorm style beach cabins

When does the project run?

March to October

Facilities:

accommodation included, food included, refillable drinking water, cold shower, western toilet. The project uses solar panels!

How long can I stay?

Minimum 1 week

Requirements:

  • 18 years old

  • Physically fit

  • Able to live in basic conditions

  • Basic Spanish a bonus

Details of the day-to-day life on the project:

Work is manily nocturnal, alternating between patrols and hatchery monitoring.
Approx 4 hours per night, and approx 3 hours in day to help with cleaning, maintenance etc

Reviews & ratings

Adriano

Volunteer

Very Good Program

My week at Daktari was excellent and the program is very intense in the sense that we all get together with the kids and animals from 7am until 9 pm. It is an excellent choice for a first volunteering program abroad considering and I would definitely like to go back someday

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Corinne

Intern

It was an experience that I feel extremely lucky to have been a part of

Wild Sun Rescue is an animal rehabilitation center located in the remote and scenic fishing village of Cabuya, Costa Rica. The long-term (12 week) volunteer experience involved getting to do hands-on work with all of the animals that are housed at the center, including howler monkeys, capuchins, opossums, squirrels and raptors. The daily duties included diet prep (mostly chopping and cooking fruits and veggies), enclosure cleaning, facility maintenance (repairing enclosures, building new enclosures and enrichment), and animal handling and medical treatment. It was an experience that I feel extremely lucky to have been a part of--nowhere else in the world would I be able to work with all of these amazing animals, in such a unique and beautiful location. As a wildlife biology intern, I also had the opportunity to create my own research project at the center, supervised and assisted by the internship coordinator.

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