Turtle Tracks

by Helen Pheasey in Canterbury

We did it
On 17th February 2017 we successfully raised £5,226 with 213 supporters in 21 days

Decoy sea turtle eggs containing GPS transmitters will be placed in vulnerable nests to track poachers.

by Helen Pheasey in Canterbury

 New stretch target

Making our target is phenomenal and means we can continue on to raise the additional funds this project will cost.

This is how we will spend the additional money raised:

  • £1000: An additional £1000 means we can buy the kit needed for three night patrol teams to deploy the eggs on the beach. The kit includes heavy duty waterproof rucksacks, GPS units,  tape measures, heavy duty waterproof dry bags, flagging tape, waterproof notebooks and other supplies such as latex gloves, stationary etc. (Notice the repeated use of "waterproof" - it rains A LOT at these locations!).
  • £2000: An additional £2000 raised means we can purchase the laptop and software needed to process the large datasets this project will generate.
  • £2000: A further £2000 will pay for the eggs to be produced, a cost that is currently being absorbed by the producers and one that would free up their personnel to undertake other vital conservation work in the region.

Thank you so much for your additional support this means so much to us!


***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

Rewards

This project offers rewards in return for your donation. Please select a reward below.

£10 or more

£10 Reward

A personalised thank you on the Turtle Tracks Wall of Supporters

£35 or more

£35 Reward

£35 buys 1 egg, you get name the egg and receive a report on its movements.

£100 or more

£100 Reward

£100 buys 3 eggs, report and an invitation to the Turtle Tracks 2019 end of season event.

£500 or more

£500 Reward

10 eggs, report and invitation to the Turtle Tracks 2019 event + 1 hour skype time from the field

£1,000 or more

£1,000 Reward

Invitation to visit site to deploy eggs, includes 2 day’s accommodation, food and night patrol training.

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