what is Wildlife Sense ?

" Wildlife Sense Kefalonia is a research and conservation project to study and protect Kefalonia's endangered loggerhead sea turtles. Under this keystone species, we also study and monitor their native coastal habitats in Kefalonia, which are critical for their reproductive success and their year-round foraging and migrations. " -www.wildlifesense.com/en/kefalonia/ We are raising money so that we can go as volunteers to Kefalonia in Greece to preserve, promote awareness and conduct environmental studies on the beautiful but endangered loggerhead turtle. We will do this by cycling to the beaches early in the morning counting and protecting nests of loggerhead turtles and conducting studies on environmental factors (pollution and tourism) contributing to their endangered status.

Who are we?

We are Dearbhla Kelly O'Hara, Marie Doher and Frankie Burgess, three University of Essex students who are passionate about animal protection and feel strongly involved in the protection of loggerhead sea turtles. We are volunteers who aim to do everything we can to protect these endangered turtles from harm caused by human interaction.

What activities will we be doing ?

This volunteering project offers a unique learning experience because we will have the opportunity to :

• Contribute to the protection of endangered sea Turtles
• Cycle to the beaches in the early morning and look for fresh turtle nests
• Survey the beaches to find and protect sea turtle nests
• Mark, measure, record and protect all nests laid during previous night
• Protect nests from accidental damage, especially from light pollution and ensure they can safely crawl to the sea
• After hatching, create nest inventories to assess hatching success
• Finally, help promote awareness locally about turtle protection and more!

Where will the donations go?

Where will the money go?

The money raised will cover the cost of our team’s travel, accommodation and training within the two weeks volunteering in Kefalonia.

Minimum target : £700 x 3 = £2,100

• Deposit: £100
• Programme fee: £410
• Flights: £150- £350
• Food costs (Optional kitty): £30 per week
• Personal expenses: £100-150

These prices are per person.

Rewards

For anyone who is willing to support us we offer great rewards, based on how much is donated, such as a huge shout out and thank you on social media, naming a protected baby turtle or a gift from Kefalonia.

Follow us to find out what we are doing !

Marie Doher:

You can find me on Facebook and Instagram if you'd like to see my progress during the project.

Dearbhla Kelly-O'Hara:

You can find me on Facebook and Instagram if you'd like to see my progress during the project.

Frankie Burgess:

You can find me on Facebook and Instagram if you'd like to see my progress during the project.

We'll be posting daily updates when we're running the project so, follow us!

Help us succeed!

All donations, no matter the value, will be immensely appreciated and even if you can't donate, help us promote this great cause by sharing our project with everyone you know!

Thank you very much!