Turtle Project at Kosgoda

There are LOADS of volunteer projects (and volunteers) in Sri Lanka. In the aftermath of the tsunami money and people poured into the country from around the world to assist in rebuilding. With the wild elephant population and human-elephant conflicts there are many NGOs monitoring elephant populations throughout the country.

One very popular project is the Sea Turtle project at Kosgoda. The sponsoring organization (I forget who) buys endangered turtle eggs from poachers, buries them in the sand until they hatch, then at the right tide, moon phase and I don't know what all, releases them into the ocean. The volunteers have to sit up all night sometimes as the eggs hatch to help them along. Sometimes the poor little turtles are confused by the lights of traffic along the road and go the wrong way.

It's important work to help save these endangered animals. And they are cute. But, MAN that looked like boring work! I mean, you just sit around all day waiting til night for something (or maybe nothing) to happen. There was a kind of bar across the road, but otherwise nothing.

Give me the elephants every time.

This was Stevie (The turtle, that is). Stevie was found under a pile of rubble following the tsunami. He was blinded during the tragedy and will live out the rest of his life in a tank at Kosgoda. He gets lots of attention.