Turtle conservation projects

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Official estimates suggest that more than 16,000 rare Olive Ridley turtles have been found dead on the eastern coast of India in the last year, taking the total to over 100,000 in the last decade.

Thousands of the Olive Ridley turtles come ashore each year to nest and lay eggs on the eastern coast of India. Each turtle will lay several eggs but the chances of each turtle hatchling making it to adult life is slim. The chances have been made even slimmer due to the increase of Indian fishing vessels using illegal nets which can suffocate a turtle if they’re unlucky enough to be caught in it.

Global Volunteer Projects is working with a local NGO to help protect these rare turtles. Your job will be to collect the precious eggs from nesting sites, and put them in secure incubators, protecting them from predators, both animal and human! When the eggs are ready for hatching you will take back out to their nests and monitor the hatchlings as they make their journey to the Indian Ocean.

Equally valuable work is educating the local fishing population on the use of proper nets. The turtle is revered by many of the locals as Hindu mythology recognises the turtle as a reincarnation of one of their gods, therefore it’s rare for locals to consume their meat or eggs. Often the turtles are caught in the nets by accident. You will work with local volunteers to help educate the local fishermen on different fishing nets and practices that can help reduce the number of turtles accidentally.

This project starts in January 2008. If you are keen to join a project before then, why not have a look at our conservation projects in Ghana, China or Mexico.

Weekends
The cost of the programme includes yoga lessons which are usually conducted each morning. Practising yoga is a great way to learn a little bit about Indian culture.

Weekends are usually free and volunteers usually use this time to meet and go travelling. Our location in Kerala means that you are well placed to see some of the most interesting sites in India.

The beaches of Kerala are reputed to be some of the best in the world. Not far away is the palm fringed Kovalam, perfect for just chilling out and relaxing by the sea after a hectic week in India. Further afield is the coastal port of Cochin, once centre to the spice trade from India. Travel further inland and travel down the famous backwaters of Kerala or journey up into the Western Ghat mountains and the wildlife reserve at Periyar roamed by herds of mud-caked elephants.

If you’re exhausted by constant travelling, take a weekend off and take time to appreciate the various theatre and dance styles that abound in Kerala. Mohiniattam (‘dance of the enchantress’) and the martial art influenced Kathakali dance drama are well worth experiencing if you have the chance during your time with us in India.

Those interested in travelling much further afield can journey into neighbouring Tamil Nadu to visit the many Hindu temples or much further north to Agra and a pilgrimage to the Taj Mahal.