How to join a Great Barrier Reef Turtle Rehabilitation Project in Australia

The Great Barrier Reef is home to six out of seven species of the world's majestic marine turtles, such as the Olive Ridley, the Green turtle, and the small Hawksbill. Unfortunately, many of these turtles are being hunted or killed and many die due to illness and the carelessness of humans. Joining a Great Barrier Reef turtle rehabilitation project in Australia is your chance to be part of a great movement to keep sea turtles alive and well, and to save this endangered species.

A turtle rehabilitation project located along the Far North Queensland Coast allow you to help in the treatment of sick and injured marine turtles from the Great Barrier Reef. These turtles are brought in due to starvation, disease, injuries due to discarded fishing gear and boats and ingesting plastics. Many turtles suffer from ‘floaters disease’. To date, this reputable Great Barrier Reef turtle rehabilitation project in Australia has helped over 250 injured and sick animals.

As the leading Great Barrier Reef turtle rehabilitation project, it offers unique experiences for volunteers to make positive contributions to the turtle cause. Joining this type of project is a chance for you to make a difference, no matter how small the work. To get started, find an appropriate organisation that has access to this project and sign up online. It’s that easy! This project requires volunteers to make a financial contribution to the turtle rescue organisation and pay for lunch and accommodation. They will require a deposit with the application process and this holds a place for you. The deposit is not an additional fee, but a contribution to the overall cost of the project. You can pay through bank transfer if you have an Australian bank account, or use PayPal or International transfer if you are not located in Australia. Upon receipt of the deposit and application, the organisation will send an acknowledgement via email.

It is important to find a reputable non-profit volunteer recruitment organisation that specialises in providing financial assistance and resources to animal welfare and conservation projects that meets with the volunteer’s ethical criteria. Does the organisation have Ethical Standards? Are the animal’s best interests at heart? Is it a not for profit or are they Government owned? Are the animals released as soon as they are rehabilitated? Do your research online and find a non-profit organisation that is based in Australia, so that you get first hand local knowledge and support while you are in-country and before you leave. If you live overseas, you need to make sure that you have a valid passport with 6 months validity before you leave home. If you are a visitor to Australia, you will need a Visitor’s Visa Subclass 600.

Organisations allow volunteers to sign up for more than one project and this is a great idea as you can experience two very different animal experiences in two different part so the country. Then you can do something else to do besides turtle rehabilitation in the Great Barrier Reef. Try your hand at caring for rescued koalas?

One more thing. Ensure you find out what vaccinations you need in order to volunteer and get high-quality travel insurance that covers you for working with animals.

About the Author:

This article is written by Tracy Leske. She is the Director of Oceans2earth.org. It is a website of a non-political, non-religious organisation that provides opportunities for individuals to interact with people of diverse cultures. They offer amazing volunteering and adventure travel experiences for ethically minded animal and conservation lovers looking for the trip of a lifetime.

This article is written by Josephine Kent, Marketing Coordinator of Oceans 2 Earth Volunteers, an organization that provides opportunities for volunteers to work with animals on a variety of animal.