Working With Turtles


Working with turtles is a fascinating, rewarding, and memorable experience, and we offer a number of such opportunities here at The Great Projects. They are located in places like Sri Lanka and Costa Rica, so the settings are simply stunning and ideal bucket-list destinations. You get to meet a range of interesting people who all share the same care for the environment and understand the need for conservation, as well as, of course, you get the opportunity to see the sea turtles up close and even care for them! They are amazing creatures, with some even growing to three metres in length!

The trips are enjoyable, once in a lifetime experiences, but they are also crucial in the preservation of the turtle species. The projects we offer cannot survive without volunteers, and it seems as though without the projects, the future for many species of sea turtle is uncertain, so if you want to help change this, working with turtles is definitely for you.  On the projects, you could be doing anything from monitoring reefs to working in the hatchery to implementing awareness programmes with the local community. All you have to decide is where you want to go!

Projects Do More

Turtles At A Glance

ENDANGERED STATUS
Endangered
NUMBER REMAINING IN THE WILD
Varies - Dependent On Species
ENDEMIC REGION
Oceans All Around The World

How Endangered Are Turtles

Sea turtles may be found in all of the world's oceans, but this vast habitat makes it very difficult to gain exact population numbers. The number of sea turtles in the wild varies from species to species. The most endangered of all of the 7 species of sea turtle is the Kemp's Ridley. This particular species has had a rapid decline in numbers with just around 10,000 remaining compared to a sighting of 100,000 nesting turtles in one day back in the 1940s. 

Researchers have found it difficult to get an accurate figure for the number of sea turtles that are remaining in the wild due to their elusive nature and the sheer number of young turtles that never actually make it through to adulthood. One thing is clear though, and that is that all 7 species need our help if they are to survive.

Threats Turtles Are Facing

Even though they have one of the most famed protective shells in the entire animal kingdom, turtles are relatively defenceless to the actions of humans. Some of the issues most affecting sea turtles are:

  • Climate Change - sea turtles are very sensitive to even the smallest changes in water temperature, and with the increase of average ocean temperatures, comes yet another pressure for the turtles.
  • Bycatch - every year hundreds of thousands of sea turtles are caught in nets intended for other animals, and even with efforts to prevent this from happening in place,  many never make it.
  • Overharvesting - there is still a huge demand for turtle egg soup, and as a result, thousands of hatchlings are killed to fuel the trade.
Fast Facts
  • Many people do not realise just how big sea turtles can get, and the largest of all 7 species, the leatherback can reach sizes of 7 feet long!
  • Sea turtles are very dedicated when it comes to mating, and they can travel over 1,400 miles to return to the beach they were born at to nest.
  • The temperature of the sand that turtles lay their eggs in can affect the sex of the hatchling. Higher temperatures normally produce females and lower temperatures males!
  • The shells of sea turtles are actually part of their skeleton, including their spines and rib cages. 
Where you can go
Contact Info
UK Office
The Great Traveller Ltd,
3 Dairy Yard
Star Street
Ware, Hertfordshire
SG12 7DX
United Kingdom

Opening hours:
   Mon-Fri 8:30am–5:30pm
   Sat 10am-4pm

T: +44(0) 208 885 4987