This will be our last entry before returning home to Bala on March 15th. Actually it will be early on the 16th when we get there! We have just returned to San Jose after spending two weeks volunteering at La Tortuga Feliz project. It began after we took an early bus from Limon to the the small, dusty banana town of Bataan where we met Paul LePoutre at a local soda. Paul is the founder and director of La Tortuga Feliz - a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of endangered sea turtles in Costa Rica. His business background is evident in the efficiency and scope of the project. As we learned, saving turtles is only one part of a plan to provide economic self-sufficiency for the area. By hiring past poachers as guides, there is now steady emplyment for people in the area.
After a 20 minute taxi ride past endless fields of banana trees we climbed into an open 18 foot boat and with Paul as our naturalist guide followed the river canals for 45 minutes to the Pacuare River and an island, only 7 kilometres long where the project is based. Our training began immediately on the beach where we were given an introduction to our role as volunteers including digging a 75 cm deep turtle egg nest.
We settled into our small but comfortable room. Sue got the top bunk! We were soon assigned our first patrol for that night. Patrols included a local guide who spoke only Spanish and two volunteers who began their trek along the beach at hourly intervals from 7:00 to midnight. We wore dark coloured clothes on the 4 hour hike and carried a flashlight with a red filter so as not to scare turtles away from the beach. The flashlights were only to be used when collecting eggs or recording information. At this time of year, the giant Leatherback turtle makes its way to the coastal beaches where it digs a hole in the sand for a nest and deposits between 80 and 120 eggs. Our job was to beat the poachers to the eggs, collect and transfer them to a protected hatchery area near the base camp. It was a beautiful walk in the warm breeze and the moonlight reflecting off the rolling ocean waves. There were no turtles that first night however.
Poaching of eggs, although illegal, is quite common as the contents of the average nest could be sold for $30 to $40 (a lot to someone who labours for $1 an hour at a banana plantation or on a farm). The eggs are sold to Costa Ricans who consider them to be an aphrodesiac. Since the Leatherback eats a lot of jellyfish for protein, the meat is poisonous to humans, so poachers do not kill them for meat. The giant Green turtle, however, is not so fortunate. When they start arriving to lay eggs in May, the volunteers not only have to protect eggs, but also try to make sure that the turtles are not killed.
Our time at the camp was like being at a resort without all the amenities and luxuries. Since most of the work is done at night, we had time during the days to read, lay on the beach, swim in the ocean, explore the island or simply lounge in the hammocks. There are no electrical lines going to the island hence cold showers and a lack of refrigeration. Delicious meals were prepared by a local woman hired by the project. We all took turns assisting in the kitchen. The other day/night job was to guard the hatchery to ensure it was safe from the poachers 24 hours a day. There were about 20 volunteers from all over the world. We were once again the oldest...not sure about the wisest!
We found that walking the beach was not always easy. On nights when the moon was hidden behind clouds or during a rain shower, it was hard to avoid tripping over driftwood and sand ridges along the beach. There are also many sections of beach where the sand was so soft that it was like walking with weights on your feet. This is early in the leatherback season but we were fortunate to see two of these beautiful prehistoric creatures. This is the largest of all sea turtles. The female can be over two metres in length and weigh up to 600 kilograms. Sue's patrol managed to collect and relocate about 80 eggs which had to be carried back 2 1/2 kilometres in a bag to the hatchery. The guides make sure that all the turtles we find have two identification tags to aid in research of this critically endangered species. We were also involved in measuring and recording information for each turtle that was found.
Starting in mid-March some horses will be used to patrol the beach and return the eggs thus allowing foot patrols to continue searching for more turtles. Sue was lucky enough to ride the length of the beach on horseback with another volunteer in order to test a new walkie-talkie communication system. It was great to canter along the shore with the waves lapping at the horses feet.
The two weeks went by quickly and were certainly a wonderful way to end our Costa Rican adventure. Jon hopes to return in May to photograph the release of the hatchlings. This is an ideal time to visit the project as leatherbacks are still coming onto the beach at night to lay eggs while the earliest eggs are already hatching. Anyone want to come along?
See you this Friday at the Bala Falls Pub!
