Target reached!
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Turtle Tracks
Canterbury
Aim
Decoy sea turtle eggs containing GPS transmitters will be placed in vulnerable nests to track poachers.
***All UK dontations will be entered into a prize draw to win festival tickets, a city break for two and other great prizes, check out @Turtletracks2 on Facebook and Twitter***
Help Turtle Tracks to track poachers!
Decoy sea turtle eggs containing GPS transmitters will be placed in vulnerable nests to track poachers.
This summer Turtle Tracks will place decoy sea turtle eggs in nests vulnerable to poaching. These 3D printed turtle eggs contain a GPS tracking device, SIM card and battery pack. The eggs are identical in size, shape and texture to green turtle eggs and use exactly the same technology as the GPS tracker in your mobile phone. We will place 100 dummy eggs in turtle nests at two secret locations. When the nest is poached it will be possible to track the route the poachers take off the beach. We will then be able to map the poacher’s movements from the beach to the markets where the eggs are bought and sold. If this trial is successful this cutting-edge technology could go on to be used throughout the region and prove to be a game changer in future law enforcement.
Sea turtles are threatened with extinction
Sea turtles have swum the world oceans for over 100 million years but today they are threatened with extinction due to the activities of man. Turtles need to come onto land to nest and use beaches across the tropics to lay their eggs. Six species of turtle nest on Central American beaches and it is during nesting that turtles are most vulnerable to poaching. There is high demand for turtle meat, shell and eggs, but this demand is driving the extinction of turtles.
Only 1 in 1000 hatchlings is estimated to make it to adulthood, help Turtle Tracks give them a fighting chance by making a donation today.
Poaching
Despite being illegal, poaching is rife as law enforcement is under resourced and prosecutions are rare. If we better understood where the eggs were going once they leave the beach it would be possible to focus limited law enforcement resources and help protect turtles.
There is high demand for turtle eggs in Central America
100 decoy eggs
In order to be successful we need to place 100 decoy eggs at each location. Each egg costs the equivalent of £35 so we need to raise £3,500! It’s no mean feat but we are confident that there are enough people supporting Turtle Tracks to achieve this.
The world needs turtles in it, not just for their intrinsic value but also for the roles they play in marine ecosystems. Please support this campaign by making a donation today and help Turtle Tracks to track poachers.
For more information check out:
https://www.facebook.com/Turtletracks2 Twitter @Turtletracks2
https://www.facebook.com/ajplusenglish/videos/777970039011172/
Please note: The aim of this research is not to penalise individual poachers or to cause arrests or prosecutions. Turtle Tracks is going to trial cutting edge technology and test it for use as a law enforcement tool for the future.
Thank you for supporting Turtle Tracks
This project successfully funded on 17th February 2017