To be alongside a nesting Loggerhead Sea Turtle is a privilege. Every year they pull themselves up onto the beaches and dig deep into the sand to hide their eggs, producing nests that can house a hundred eggs that will soon hatch into baby turtles ready to face the dangers of the big wide world. 

But on the island of Sal, in the Cape Verdean archipelago, the Loggerhead Sea Turtles are under threat. Under intense development, the numbers of people and domestic animals arriving on this island is increasing all the time. Because of this, turtles nesting here have been long under attack by poachers killing the nesting females, dogs digging up the eggs, and illegal developments.

Voluntourism with the organisation Project Biodiversity has made great strides in combatting these threats, and allows nature-lovers to get first-hand experience of these majestic animals by staying a few weeks with the rangers as a volunteer. There is nothing quite like the feeling of having your first turtle drag itself out of the water and towards you to nest!

Volunteer nights can be hard, patrolling alongside long-term rangers to assist in collecting data, GPSing tracks, moving nests, and even tagging the animals for further understanding. Six hours are spent every night patrolling, after which you can retire to the communal beach front tent to grab some sleep, ready for the next day.

From the month of August onwards, the hard work of the rangers and volunteers is rewarded, as the baby turtles start to appear from the hatcheries on the island. This opens up another (much-desired) work shift, Hatchery duty. These shifts are much loved by the Volunteers, as you wake up every thirty minutes to check the waking nests. If any baby turtles are awake then you assist in counting and releasing them out into the big blue world.

Every year the team gets bigger, and the Volunteers which come to spend a few weeks with the team go away knowing that they have made a lasting impact on the continuing survival of the species here, and with more than a few good stories and memories to treasure on the way home.