Report Samantha Donnellan. Pura Vida!

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1 Report Samantha Donnellan Pura Vida! Making up only 0.03% of the worlds land mass it is remarkable that this tiny country holds 5% of the planets biodiversity. With its national saying being Pura Vida meaning pure life, sprawling beaches, 800miles of coasts, tropical rainforests, it is little wonder that this little stretch of Central America is described as a paradise. Bordering Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south, Costa Rica is where I spent nearly 3 weeks this summer, organised through International Student Volunteers (ISV), working in the beautiful Osa Peninsula, approximately 6 hours drive from the capital San Jose. Travelling to the country with other UK based students, was an adventure in itself, spending one day in NYC before flying in. In Playa Blanca in the south of the country, I had the privilege to be involved with the conservation of wild Sea Turtles working with the charity WIDECAST. Sea turtles are one of the oldest creatures on our planet and, terribly, most of their species are critically endangered. It is heart breaking and infuriating to know that we humans are the main cause of that. WIDECAST taught us about poaching of turtle eggs on nesting beaches, the destruction of their habitat for coastal development, turtle fishing for meat, the use of turtle products for Chinese medicines /souvenirs and the problems of world-wide pollution which leads to the death of hundreds of turtles each year. Before beginning the physical work with the charity, we learned about the reptiles, their background, the differences between males and females, how to handle them and how to record data for the conservation project.

2 Daily tasks mainly involved travelling out in small boats, manually laying 200m nets (by snorkelling in the ocean and untangling any knots/straightening out the line) and capturing the beautiful Green and Hawksbill turtles. The turtles were then gently taken onto the boats from the nets, where we returned to shore with them and data was collected. As assistants, our jobs were to help carry the turtles from the boat and place them into rubber tyres, then using a cloth to cover their eyes to reduce stress levels the turtles were carefully held in place whilst measurements were taken (length, width, tail length etc). If any turtles had and injuries/parasites we returned with them to the WIDECAST rehabilitation centre at the beach by our accommodation. Providing the turtles were healthy, after the measurements were all taken and recorded, the turtles were released back into the ocean with tags on their flippers, showing that WIDECAST had recorded their data to prevent re-capturing by our group and in-case another conservation charity captured them to provide details on where the turtles are travelling to/finding food in the ocean. Very little is known about turtles in general, and to be able to protect them, as much information had to be gathered as possible.

3 As-well as working directly with the sea turtles, the not so glamorous task of beach cleans was vitally important. We spent many afternoons combing the beautiful tropical beaches for rubbish (and there was plenty of it!). Beach cleaning also sent out an important message to locals and visitors to the area alike, that we were serious volunteers, there to help and make a difference.

4 Sadly many turtles (mainly the Greens) swallow plastic bags as they mistake them for jellyfish, thus causing them to die a slow and painful death, therefore it was vital to keep an area where sea turtles are thriving rubbish free! Another important job was mangrove plantation along the beaches. WIDECAST have started a small mangrove nursery by the turtle sanctuary, and from here we collected and planted the baby trees with the hope of replenishing the deserted areas of beach where mangroves once grew. This was very hard work in the heat but incredibly rewarding and possibly one of my favourite tasks! Other tasks included maintaining the turtle sanctuary, digging new pits where water tanks could go for injured sea turtles to be housed in and meeting local children to spread the word on the work we were doing. We spoke to the children about the importance of not dropping litter and in return they taught us their national dance! We spent some afternoons playing games of catch with them, something I ve not done in years, so it was great fun for all.

5 The trip to Costa Rica was truly life changing, seeing the turtles and all the other wildlife the country had to offer was like a dream come true. As an animal lover, this was the best experience for me, with the most memorable moment being when we saw humpback whales swim under our boat, followed by the sound of their deep, melancholy yet incredible song which went on for over 20 minutes. When the whales started to sing, everyone was so shocked and touched, and it is a moment I think will stay with everyone forever. Thank you to the Allen McTernan Memorial Fund for giving me a grant to help towards the cost of my flights to Costa Rica, without this grant I do not think I could have attended. If we managed to do anything towards to protection and conservation of Green and Hawksbill sea turtles, then the trip won t just have been an amazing experience for me and the other students, but it will have been worth it.