Last night we tagged a record-tying number of 108 turtles. It only took us until 3am and one rainstorm to finish the work. The Nature Seekers started weighing for the season last night, getting measurements of seven turtles. Weighing leatherbacks is a major undertaking as the turtles can weigh over 1000lbs. While the turtle is covering her nest the Nature Seekers dig two holes directly under the turtle where they slip two belts that are then attached to a pulley supported by a steel tripod set up over the turtle. Once she is settled into the harness at least 5 big guys grab hold of the rope and heave until she is completely suspended in the air. It only takes a few seconds to get the weight measurement and then the turtle is gently lowered back onto her nest where she continues to carefully cover her eggs.
This morning, while we were all struggling to recover from our late night, we ventured out on a 2.5 hour hike through the Matura rainforest in search of red howler monkeys. Unfortunately, we were not lucky enough to find any howlers although we spotted a toucan in the trees directly over our path. After a very delicious lunch, only surpassed by the pizza we enjoyed last night, several students explored the nearby city of Sangre Grande (known as “Sandy Grandy”). The highlights of the trip were the ice cream and the baby chicks being sold at the hardware store. Other students interviewed the manager of Nature Seekers (Dennis Sammy aka Turtleman) for our group presentations or napped to recover for another long night on the beach.
Tomorrow we head home at a modest 4am and look forward to seeing everyone back in the
States!
~Diane, Lori, Amy, and Emma (who yes, is still alive)
This morning, while we were all struggling to recover from our late night, we ventured out on a 2.5 hour hike through the Matura rainforest in search of red howler monkeys. Unfortunately, we were not lucky enough to find any howlers although we spotted a toucan in the trees directly over our path. After a very delicious lunch, only surpassed by the pizza we enjoyed last night, several students explored the nearby city of Sangre Grande (known as “Sandy Grandy”). The highlights of the trip were the ice cream and the baby chicks being sold at the hardware store. Other students interviewed the manager of Nature Seekers (Dennis Sammy aka Turtleman) for our group presentations or napped to recover for another long night on the beach.Tomorrow we head home at a modest 4am and look forward to seeing everyone back in the
States!
~Diane, Lori, Amy, and Emma (who yes, is still alive)
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