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Sea Turtle Conservation Wildlife Conservation

Program Details

Language
English
Housing
Hostel

Pricing

Starting Price
500
Price Details
The cost per volunteer is USD500 for the first 30 days and USD15 for any extra day, for accommodation, cooking gas and electricity; for a minimum 30 days stay. For shorter periods a total of USD500 is required. Food is purchased and cooked by volunteers. Any other expenses, such as flights or other transportation costs are covered by the volunteers. Volunteers are expected to have their own travel insurance.
Jul 05, 2018
Aug 07, 2017
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About Program

Join the YWF-Kido Foundation to make a difference in Grenada! Located at the Kido Ecological Research Station (KERS) in Carriacou Island, we are looking for Volunteers to participate in Kido Foundation Sea Turtle Monitoring and Tagging Programme.

Volunteers will actively participate in monitoring and data-collection of 2 critically endangered Sea Turtle Species, Leatherback and Hawksbill, nesting on 3 different beaches on the Island; helping to prevent poaching activities of turtles and eggs. (From March to August)

Duties:
- Night patrolling in the High North proposed National Park area, from 8pm to 6am, 5 nights a week.
- Assisting local guides tagging post-nesting turtles, carapace measuring & other data collection, and turtle tracks and nests disguising

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Video and Photos

KIDO volunteer with two post-nesting leatherbacks

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Program Reviews

3.90 Rating
based on 10 reviews
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  • 5 rating 70%
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  • 2 rating 10%
  • 1 rating 20%
  • Impact 4.4
  • Support 3.7
  • Fun 4.4
  • Value 3.8
  • Safety 3.9
Showing 9 - 10 of 10 reviews
Default avatar
Wild
31
Male
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

The Best Experience I Have Had

May 2, 2012

Volunteering with this organization is one of the best decisions I have made. The directors are amazing people who really care about this cause. Conservation and awareness is the top priority here and by following suit there will never be a dull moment from when you set foot on the island of Carriacou.

A perfect opportunity for some passionate people looking to do something meaningful and important. The first time you see one of these amazing creatures come ashore is unlike any experience you will ever have. One you will truly cherish and never be able to stop talking about until you watch the hatchlings emerge from a nest you helped to save and swim out to sea.

18 people found this review helpful.
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Default avatar
NCSU_2012
39
Female
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

A Life Changing Experience!

Apr 17, 2012

I volunteered two summers at Kido and I plan to go back again!

Both summers I made friends from many difference countries, since volunteers come from all over the globe. Also, another cool thing about Kido is that there are animals EVERYWHERE. There are dogs, cats, land turtles (tortoises), lizards, and non-poisonous snakes.

The work on this project is physically intense since you will be patrolling beaches at night. You will definitely be IN SHAPE and lose some weight over the course of your volunteer work. Don't expect to be able to take a hot shower every day because you need to conserve water (the water source is rain water). The cool thing about this though is that when you return to "modern life" you will have established a GOOD habit of not wasting running water.

Main perks of the program include: seeing the moon and stars over the ocean at night, getting to touch and interact with real leatherback turtles (and some hawksbills too), and finally I must also mention the WONDERFUL mini "library" of secondhand books available to the volunteers.

Be prepared to expand your mind!!

27 people found this review helpful.
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Questions & Answers

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Piero Becker

Program
YWF-Kido Foundation: Marine Turtles Conservation
Piero Becker is from Madison, N.J. and received a degree in marine biology from the University of Rhode Island. Shortly after graduation he realized his passion was in marine conservation and went into doing field research working with the endangered sea turtles of the ocean. When he is not working to preserve wildlife he is back in the states working in the film industry and trying to promote wildlife conservation awareness. He also enjoys hiking, scuba diving, surfing, snowboarding, and adventure sports.
Piero sees his first leatherback

Morning: The typical morning at KIDO Foundation for me is usually spent just coming off the beaches we patrol at night from 7:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. Once I get back to the house I usually end up going to kayak to the other beaches sea turtles are known to come up to protect the possible nests from poachers and relocate them if needed. The morning patrol surveys are usually my favorite time of the day. The amount of biodiversity here in the waters of Carriacou are unmatched by any other place I have ever been to or projects I have worked on. I observed while kayaking and snorkeling: sting rays, green/ hawksbill sea turtles, eels, octopodes, sharks, and thousands of unforgettable fish species.

Afternoon: The afternoon was usually spent sleeping or touring around the island. There are many wonderful beaches on Carriacou to lay out on when it is a wonderful sunny day. The people and the atmosphere of the island is unbelievable in the most welcoming way. On days off from patrolling it is really nice to have the chance to explore some of the other neighboring islands. The Tobago Cays was one of my favorite destinations to see an abundance of wildlife and to swim with the sea turtles.

Evening: Evenings at KIDO are quite relaxing when you have a day off from patrolling but the real fun is when you are on patrol. I loved the rush of seeing the gigantic leatherbacks heave themselves out of the ocean to nest on the beaches of Carriacou. Leatherbacks can easily reach up to 6 ft long and can definitely be a bit of a shock when you first get up close to one to take her measurements.

Highlights: The most rewarding experience of the trip and memorable would be rescuing many sea turtles from being slaughtered by fishermen during the Grenadines open sea turtle hunting season. One of which was a leatherback that we spent 4 hours trying to rescue and return to the sea. At this time I was actually able to ride her out to sea and safely over the coral reef after a traumatic experience. I was able to make a movie about our efforts at KIDO in order to raise awareness and hopefully ban the hunting and killing of sea turtles all year round.

About YWF-Kido Foundation

The goal of YWF-Kido Foundation is to preserve the marine and tropical ecosystems. We promote sustainable development in the Grenadines through environmental education, training and scientific research. Kido Foundation mission statement: 'The social and the environmental must now come together, indeed, they should have never been apart'

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