Turtley Awesome Sea Turtle Facts.

The first time I saw a sea turtle was when I was in Costa Rica, participating in AEI’s sea turtle nesting conservation program. It was late at night and we were helping to patrol the beach, on the lookout for female turtles coming out of the ocean to lay their eggs. The turtle was a Leatherback - a giant, silent, magnificent presence in the moonlight. She was breathtaking. And the experience was made even more amazing by knowing we were ensuring her eggs would be kept safe, and that her offspring could return to the ocean one day, to continue a cycle that has been taking place for over 100 million years.

Sea turtles are one of the most loved marine creatures, but also one of the most secretive. For the most part, what sea turtles do and where they spend their time has remained a mystery. There are seven species of sea turtles in our oceans, and while females periodically come on shore to lay their eggs, most of their lives are spent in the water. We do know that most species migrate thousands of kilometers in their lifetimes as they move between their feeding and breeding grounds and are found in every ocean around the world, except the Arctic and Antarctic. One Leatherback turtle found on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica had been previously tagged in Newfoundland, Canada!

We need to know more about them

Tagging and tracking sea turtles has been key in allowing researchers to gain insight into their lives, and provides important information for sea turtle protection and conservation. AEI’s sea turtle conservation program in Costa Rica offers a glimpse into the lives of sea turtles when they are not at their nesting sites. Researchers study turtles swimming freely in the Golfo Dulce, identifying, tagging and monitoring these sea turtles to better understand their behaviour. This information is used in the global turtle conservation effort to help turtles around the world. 

Sea turtle facts 

Sea turtles species vary greatly in size. Olive ridleys are the smallest sea turtles (weighing up to 50 kg or 110 pounds). Leatherbacks are the largest sea turtle species and can weigh up to 680 kg (1,500 pounds) and measure 183 cm (6 feet). We know that sea turtles can live a very long time, but their exact age is difficult to document. Their natural lifespan is estimated to be between 50 and 100 years. It takes 20 - 30 years for a sea turtle to reach sexual maturity, and when ready, female turtles return to the very same beach where they were hatched to lay their own eggs. Some females have been found to nest every year until the age of 80!

How many sea turtles are there? 

This is a difficult question to answer, as juvenile and male sea turtles never come ashore. Population numbers are usually estimated by the number of adult females that nest each year. This is not an easy feat, as some females nest every 2 - 3 years, and others may nest more than once in a season. Scientists look at the changing numbers of nesting females from year to year to determine population trends. 

Making a difference

We do know that six of the seven species of sea turtles are listed as threatened, endangered or critically endangered. Sea turtles face multiple threats caused by humans, such as bycatch in commercial fishing gear, illegal trade, consumption, and climate change. There is still much work to do to decrease these threats and many ways for you to help.  AEI’s partner in Australia provides assistance to adult sea turtles that have been injured or impacted by boats, nets, ocean pollution and severe weather events. 

Together we are making a difference. We are starting to hear positive news, with many conservation programs reporting an increase in the numbers of nesting female sea turtles now being counted on the beaches. By supporting these efforts, we can continue to see the numbers of these ancient and mysterious sea creatures rise and ensure they have a place in the oceans for millions of more years to come.

Remember that AEI has a Relief Fund for our placement partners. If you want to donate to sea turtles you can send us the donation through paypal and we will send it over to them- just make sure you add the animal you want the donation to go to. That way you don’t pay any bank fees or anything like that! 100% of the money that you send us to send to sea turtle conservation will go to sea turtles! Donate Here!

When Can We Travel Again?

The TL;DR is: we don’t know.

The long story is we don’t know because every country and company is going to be a little different. There will be different restrictions at borders, there may be quarantine mandates based on your passport, there will be different commercial flight availability for each country, there will be changes. It will be be different. Will it be different forever? We also don’t know.

To be travel experts and to not know doesn’t feel great but we have been signing up for every single travel talk, industry webinar and community meeting possible. We don’t love getting you to travel, we love travel, too! We want to help you travel safely but we also want to travel safely!

What we do know is that when travel opens up again ( probably at a trickle to start as countries and travel companies figure out their specific plans) we will be there right with you to make sure you are as safe, confident and comfortable as always. We have have always been proud of our clean safety record- more than 800 people have traveled with us safely to more than 20 projects! Remember, we go to all the placements first to make sure they are safe, they are ethical and they care authentically helping animals. We will not blindly be sending clients back into the field to help animals. We will be making sure everyone will be safe every step of their adventure.

We also have been in regular meetings with all our placements. There are already policies written to help keep you safe. Quarantine friendly housing is just the beginning! Don’t worry, like I said, when you are ready to travel, when the world is ready to have you travel, we will be sharing with you the plans we have developed and agreed on.

In the meantime, I am still here! Answering questions, helping ease anxieties and working on travel plans (for myself and others traveling in 2021 and beyond), if you have questions send me a message!

We won’t be sheltering in place forever so allow yourself to dream. Think about where you would like to go, who you would like to volunteer with, what animals you would like to meet when this is all over. Because, it will be over, we aren’t sure when but it will end.

Travel will be safe, it will be fun, it will be an adventure, it will be later.

Nora

How to Virtually Help All Animals... Remotely.

We are all going to be home for a bit longer so do you want to help animals from your backyard, phone or even computer? You are in luck because I wrote an article all about it for Fanimal. Check out all the different ways you can be a citizen scientist and help animals from bumble bees in your backyard to penguins in Antarctica! Read How to Virtually Help All Animals… Remotely. and then share it with your friends and family. Come back and tell us how you helped animals!

Be safe y’all, with your insides and your outsides.

Nora

A Discount for Your Donation!

It’s the time of year when our thoughts turn to giving – bringing happiness to others and spreading holiday cheer. We want to thank you for all the great things that you do and for all the lives that are touched by your kindness. Inspired by the tremendous generosity we saw on Giving Tuesday, we thought why not make every day in December a giving day? We would love to help you give the gift of travel to yourself in 2020!

Simply make a donation in December to ANY animal or environmental charity and Animal Experience International will thank you by giving you a discount on your fees! Share the love, spread the joy, help the world and make a difference for animals! In our busy lives, we can sometimes forget that the simple act of giving can have powerful effects. Our little ripple can lead to a tidal wave of change. And we want to help you, help important organizations around the world!

It's as simple as donating what you can to ANY conservation group you love, such as Latin American Sea Turtles, Nature Canada, Greenpeace, Lilongwe Wildlife Trust or your local animal shelter - then emailing us a copy of your receipt. We will then thank you by giving you 10% off your fees! 

Make 2020 your year of adventure. Continue to make the world a better place by traveling on an AEI adventure, meeting new friends and lending a hand to an amazing animal organization!

*Discount applies to new applications only, submitted to Animal Experience International on or before January 15, 2020. Financial donations to the charity of your choice must be made between December 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019.

Give travel to your friends, your family and yourself!

Last month we were mentioned in the New York Times article when Airbnb announced they would be helping people experience animals! Working with local animal programs you can go check out sea turtle programs or the day, have tea with ponies and visit with penguins. We LOVE this idea especially because World Animal Protection is behind them making sure all these experiences meet pretty high ethical and humane standards. No swimming with dolphins over here!

We also love this idea because it gives people the opportunity to dip their feet into the water of animal welfare and care so they can sign up for a longer experience with us later. Go visit animal welfare programs and wildlife rescue centres, see if you like them and then come volunteer with AEI! Why not?

Last month when I was in South Africa I tried an Airbnb experience to see how they operated and I was delighted! I went to the Cape of Good Hope with a woman that used to be a park ranger. She knew all the beautiful places to hike and was able to point out loads of animals I wouldn’t have even noticed!

Do yourself a favour, read the article, get better acquainted with animal adventures and then send us a message! Tis the season to give memories instead of things.

Give ethical and safe animal adventures to your friends, your family and yourself!

The Weather Outside is Frightful

The snow is falling, the air is cold and it's hard to remember that there are animals (IN VERY WARM PLACES) that need our help. Sea turtles in Costa Rica, wildlife in Malawi, dogs in Mexico.... all of them are being rescued by locally lead and run programs that could use a helping hand. We aren't looking for vets or doctors, we are looking for people to help and support local vets and doctors. We are looking for people like you who can go to the (WARM) plains of Southern Africa and help cut up fruit for baboons. We are looking for families like yours, who can walk on the (WARM) beaches of Costa Rica to replant mangrove trees. We are looking for people like you and your friends who want to help with the socialization and rehabilitation of rescue dogs in a (WARM) city in Mexico. Basically, we want to help you help animals and since we are Canadian too, we want to make sure you are warm doing it. Stay cozy, volunteer with animals this winter.

4 Incredible Women Making a Difference in Animal Welfare

Though you may double-tap any Instagram photo starring an animal, likes don’t do much to improve their quality of life. From elephants captured in Thailand to amuse tourists to mistreated household pets, there are countless situations where humans need to change their attitudes to prioritize animal welfare. In an effort to build a better tomorrow for fauna of all kinds, these four incredible women have dedicated their lives to activism for animals. Here, discover their stories — and the meaningful ways you can contribute to a difference.

The activist who is paving the way for ethical animal tourism

Who: Nora Livingstone, CEO and Founder of Animal Experience International

Her history: Livingstone’s first love was dogs: big, small, fluffy, silky — she loved them all….

… read more

Expedition 2020: Nepal

This will be our 4th Expedition and this time we are going to the roof top of the world! Come with us to Nepal for 10 full days of volunteering with dogs, visiting UNESCO World Heritage Sites, hiking through terraced fields and taking part in the most wonderful of days: Kukur Tihar. That's right, we will be in Nepal for the blessing of the dogs! We will be arriving in Kathmandu on November 10th 2020 and staying for 10 full days!

Included: carbon balancing, all accommodation, meals, in-country transportation, access and admission to all UNESCO sites, fully guided day trek, full volunteer fees and donations to dog rescue centres. $2495 Canadian.

Want to learn more about Expedition Nepal?

AEI empowers animal lovers, students, professionals, and adventure seekers to travel and make a difference by volunteering with animals.

Our exceptional experiences are safe, ethical and unforgettable. Join our team of international volunteers and explore the world while doing what you love. It doesn’t matter who you are, we will help you make a difference.

Tired of competition? Join forces to change to the world!

It can seem sometimes that our world is geared towards competition. Throughout our education, during our quest for the perfect job, while searching for the perfect apartment, in the workplace - it can feel like everyone is pitted against each other. And this can create a culture of scarcity. We can begin feeling like we need to fight for what we want, or settle for something less and feel not so great about ourselves.

In my life I have experienced these feelings first hand. Unfortunately, veterinary medicine is a fairly competitive field. For me this meant I was competing with my university classmates for a spot at vet school. Once in vet school I was competing with my classmates for placement opportunities in my field. My interest has always been in wildlife conservation, and it seemed we were constantly told that there weren't enough spots, not enough opportunities, not enough jobs. 

This feeling of famine can make us close ranks, stop sharing, focus on our own best interests.

But what if we turned this idea on its head - began to look at the world from a place of plenty. What if there was more than enough for everyone?

This is the philosophy that was behind the founding of Animal Experience International. We set out to create a space where people are encouraged to participate. Where there are opportunities for all! Everyone can get involved! There is no shortage of places you can visit and ways in which you can help! 

Creating a culture of bounty means we are collaborating and creating together. We are sharing and joining forces to make the world a better place. When we remove the pressure of competition and the fear of failure, we see people soar, their hearts open, the possibilities become endless. This is where true growth begins, true innovation, true change making. 

Join us at Animal Experience International and embrace collaboration and abundance. You can make a difference today!

Namaste Jan

Since May I have been trying to write something proper about Jan Salter MBE, founder of the Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre and my friend. She died in 2018 and it was clear to me she changed my life and I wanted to tell others how much. Unfortunately, during times like this words often fail us.

I had the wonderful opportunity to write something about my experience in Nepal for Musa Masala. Of course, I knew I couldn’t write about Nepal without writing about Jan. Words continued to fail me but at least I was able to write something. Please accept my humble offering of how Nepal, a country of tremendous beauty, welcoming smiles and impossibly interesting history changed my life by helping my path cross Jan’s.

Nepal: Inspiration for a New Beginning.

Namaste,

Nora