WORK CONTENT AND DESCRIPTION
Get hands-on experience working with one of the most ancient and amazing creatures
alive today – sea turtles. The immediate goal is to revive populations on and near
Hainan, raising sea turtles in preparation for release. You'll conduct all aspects
of sea turtle husbandry - such as feeding sea turtles, cleaning nets, and assisting
in medical treatments.
You'll also get the opportunity to work with local children and adults in community
outreach and education programs to build awareness about the importance of sea turtle
conservation.
This is also an opportunity to experience Chinese culture and interact with Chinese
people at a grass-roots level. On a daily basis, we are out talking to local people,
discussing the sea turtle's plight and also trying to understand the locals' point
of view.
The Project sea turtle hospital is located in a floating fishing village near the
city of Sanya on Hainan Island, a famous international tropical seaside resort area,
which is often referred to as the "Hawaii of China". The programs are located in
and around the southern part of Hainan. If you like beaches and warm weather, Sanya
is the place for you!
A TYPICAL SCHEDULE - EXAMPLE:
A typical day greatly depends on the projects you work on. If you are stationed
at the floating hospital, each morning we get up and, after breakfast, catch a boat
taxi out to the floating hospital.
Morning responsibilities involve greeting and checking in on all the turtles, giving
vitamins, feeding, monitoring activity and appetite, and examining the rehab patients
for any changes. Mornings are also great for side projects, research, and general
hospital care-taking.
Afternoons tend to be spent on land, as the whole village tends to go into 'siesta'
mode during the hottest part of the day. People are often found sitting in the shade
with a tea or napping. We use this time to relax indoors, get work done on our computers
and prepare for any upcoming events.<
Late afternoon we go back to the floating hospital for the majority of rehab treatments
and to feed the turtles their evening snack. Rehab treatments can include tube feeding,
fluid therapy, antibiotic administration, etc.
Afterwards it's dinner time and evenings are usually pretty free; we'll get some
needed computer work done, individual projects, or public education and campaigns,
or socialize and network with fishermen families or some of our organization's partners,
explore the village, or have some personal time. We all tend to stay pretty busy
as we have a big job to do here in China and need all the help we can get!
We recommend you plan on any personal exploration to be done either before or after
your participation in our Volunteer Program; but don't worry, you'll get a huge
China experience going out into our floating fishing village, interacting with the
locals, and changing the world, one sea turtle at a time.
During the evenings, generally the volunteers are free to do their own thing. No
program activities are scheduled (unless stated otherwise)
**Please note; This schedule can be changed and/or amended depending on weather
conditions, local conditions and unforeseen circumstances.**
PROJECT START DATES
The start dates for 2015 are:
Oct: 4th and 18th
Nov: 1th and 15th
Dec: 6th and 20th
The start dates for 2016 are:
Jan: 3rd, 17th, 31st
Feb: 14th (Chinese New Year Feb 7th to 11th)
Mar: 6th, 20th
Apr: 3rd, 17th
May:1st, 15th
Jun: 5th, 19th
Jul: 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st
Aug: 14th
Sep: 4th, 18th
Oct: 2nd, 16th
Nov: 6th, 20th
Dec: 4th, 18th