MEET THE TEAM
Our Year Round Team in Kefalonia
Chanel’s devotion to conservation efforts and scientific research has led her to work with sea turtles since 2010. Her enthusiastic and ambitious attitude, combined with an inherent desire to work with vulnerable species has inspired her to promote awareness about these species and important environmental issues. Chanel has pursued this passion through working with several environmental conservation organizations, both in America and Greece. She earned her B.S. in Biology and minor in Chemistry with honors from the College of Mount Saint Vincent, NY, while interning at the Bronx Zoo, where she became interested in animal behavior. Chanel graduated from Coastal Carolina University, SC, with a master’s degree in Coastal Marine and Wetland Studies. She conducted her research thesis on loggerhead sea turtle hatchling orientation in Kyparissia, Greece. Soon after she co-founded Wildlife Sense where she now enjoys spending her days working with others to protect sea turtles in Kefalonia, where her family is from.
Nikos’ love for the sea was fostered from childhood when he would often spend hours snorkeling to observe the sea bottom and its variety of plants and animals, often freediving at forty or fifty feet to reach them. Later in life, while working as a computer programmer, he volunteered with the Red Cross’s Rescue Team in open water lifeguarding and earned a lifesaving instructor certification.
Since first volunteering for sea turtle conservation, Nikos has worked as a field researcher, field leader, and project coordinator for several conservation projects for over thirteen years. He completed a BSc in Wildlife Management at the University of Aberdeen, UK, with a dissertation research project investigating the light pollution tolerance of sea turtle hatchlings. This led him to co-found Wildlife Sense where, aside from helping run the overall operation, he can specialize in technical instrumentation for research as well as the investigation and response to violations against wildlife and the natural environment.
From a young age, Annya has always had a passion for the environment, in particular, the marine environment. Annya grew up in Jamaica and would spend hours a day in the sea looking for new fascinating organisms.
Annya’s love for marine life only thrived as she got older leading her to the University of Liverpool, where she studied Marine Biology and graduated in 2016. During her time at university, her love for sea turtles was discovered. Now, several years later, she still works with Wildlife Sense and loves to spread her knowledge on sea turtles with others.
As Programme Coordinator, you’ll often find Annya on the beaches finding sea turtle nests, flying a drone, or coordinating a tagging event. Her favourite thing during these events is measuring turtles’ plastrons.
Josh has spent near to his entire life next to the sea, traveling around and seeing a variety of different ecosystems and the animals within. This led to him spending most of his free time either in or right beside the ocean taking photos. As a result of this he decided that he would pursue a career in marine conservation, recently completing his master’s in Marine Biology!
Josh has been part of the Wildlife Sense family since 2018 when he first volunteered in Argostoli in nesting season. Since then, he has returned every year, before permanently joining the family in 2021. In 2020 he conducted his own research here by combining his two main passions; turtles and photography, which resulted in him running the Photo ID project. If he is not sitting at his desk identifying turtles or looking at excels you will most likely find him running around the harbour with either his camera or in his wetsuit!
Charlotte is originally from the Isle of Wight and has a BA in Primary Education with Geography and QTS. She is a qualified Teacher with experience working with children ranging from infants to teenagers, specialising in children with complex Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs. She moved to Kefalonia in 2020 and has always been passionate about the environment and protecting it. Charlotte started volunteering with Wildlife Sense in 2018 and loved working with the team and learning about sea turtles. Charlotte is now really excited and feels privileged to join the Wildlife Sense family permanently helping run their Education Program. Finding the first tracks, nests and helping the hatchlings to sea has always been something Charlotte is extremely passionate about. Now Charlotte is looking forward to working with both the sea turtle and coastal conservation projects. She believes education plays a vital role in the conservation and protection of the environment and is pleased that this new role with Wildlife Sense will enable her to share her passion.
In her spare time, Charlotte will be out exploring the natural beauty Kefalonia has to offer.
Dimitris’ love for animals and the environment in general developed from a very young age. One of his favorite activities as a child was exploring Kefalonia island and its natural beauties both on land and at the sea surrounding it. He would spend hours reading books and watching documentaries about his favorite species, which included sea turtles of course, as he would often see them visiting the local beaches. This passion for wildlife led Dimitris to study Biology at Ioannina University, having a dream of becoming an animal researcher. He did his internship at Ainos national park, where he studied the unique semi-wild horses inhabiting the mountain. He graduated with a master’s degree in animal science and specifically in locomotive and behavioral analysis. The year following, he got to know Wildlife Sense and took part in their activities, immediately recognizing it would be the most suitable environment for him. Going forward a little while and he is now a proud member of the team, helping with the protection and research of our favorite turtle friends.
Poppy first volunteered with Wildlife Sense in 2018 and has since focused on the conservation of coastal and marine environments through both practical experience (working with leatherback sea turtles in Costa Rica) and her academic studies. She has a BSc in Geography and a MSc in Geographical Information Science, having concentrated on the impacts of climate change locally and regionally.
She loves creating maps from the wide range of data collected, whether that’s the distribution of seagrass or location of sea turtle nesting sites. In her free time, Poppy enjoys snorkelling along the island’s beaches and running up and down it’s hills (all fuelled by a mixture of souvlaki, ice cream and tzatziki).
Harry has been involved with Wildlife Sense ever since first volunteering in the 2015 hatching season. He finally made the permanent move to Greece in 2024 after realising his Irish heritage and getting an EU passport! He has a degree in wildlife and media and a masters in acting and loves the combination of field work and teaching opportunities that his role enables. A wildlife fanatic from infancy, he spends his free time out in the wilds, exploring the rugged beauty of the island and learning more about it’s megafauna.
Lorna and Ray have been living in Kefalonia since 2008 and have been volunteers with Wildlife Sense since 2015. They became interested in turtle conservation after seeing a turtle hatchling emerge from a nest on Megali Ammos beach on a hot summer afternoon.
From May to October each summer they, together with other volunteers, find and protect the sea turtle nests and record data in the Lourdas area. They also get involved with turtle tagging events at the harbour and other projects. One of their favourite experiences was helping to release Finn, a rehabilitated hatchling, in November 2019.
When they are not walking the beaches they enjoy rambling and exploring the Island. They have made many friends and shared many experiences during their time with Wildlife Sense.
Gill and David both grew up in England, they met when Gill started teaching in London. David was a scientist and later a medical instrument service engineer, travelling widely in Europe, the Middle East and the USA.
They retired to the island in 2014 and in 2016 began to assist with nest inventories in the Lourdas area and was immediately hooked. The following year Gill was also hooked, and both have worked continuously on beach patrols every summer and in both summer and winter assist with turtle tagging events. David is working at headquarters on rebuilding a turtle skeleton for use as a teaching aid. In addition, from June to September they also put up a display at Klimatis Taverna every Tuesday explaining the work of Wildlife Sense and informing visitors and locals alike on the life and times of the sea turtles.
Our Seasonal Team
Shirley and Michael moved to Kefalonia from the UK in January 2004. When Wildlife Sense was formed, they decided to join a dedicated group of people. The first few years they helped with locating and protecting turtle nests and seeing hatchlings making their way into the ocean. The last few years have seen them at the Harbour of Argostoli answering questions from tourists about the life of our resident turtles.
Caitlin is from Newcastle and studied Animal behaviour with Psychology for her BSc and Animal Psychology for her MSc at the University of Chester. Caitlin has many favourite shifts, she loves morning surveys because you never know what you might find, but she also really loves going to the harbour and getting to see the turtles swimming around.
Jess is from North Devon and has always had a passion for wildlife conservation. After volunteering in 2022 she fell in love with the project and has been coming back every year since! Jess has many favourite shifts with one of her main highlights being able to get involved with nest inventories, seeing the turtles hatch, and helping them safely make their way to sea. She is also fascinated by the data collected from these nests as she never knows what she might find.
Emily is currently studying law at Exeter University and has a passion for conservation. Her favourite shift is at the harbour, where you can see turtles foraging and interacting. Also, the ice cream there is amazing! In her free time, she can be found at the beach or snorkelling.
Claire from Newcastle upon Tyne and studied Zoology at the University of Leeds. Her favourite Wildlife Sense shift is going out on inventories, as she loves to see hatchlings take their first breath when they enter the sea. She also loves to sunbathe and snorkel in her free time and hopefully spot some turtles too!
Cara is from Cheshire, England and has a degree in marine biology. She has been going to Greece from a young age and found her love for marine animals there. Cara volunteered with the project twice in 2023, during mating season and hatching season. Her favourite shift is tagging as you get to be hands-on with the turtles. During her days off she can be found at the beach and swimming in the sea!
Molly is from Cambridge England and is super excited to come back to the project for her 3rd year. She loves to travel and encounter different marine life, especially turtles. Her favourite shifts are the inventories and getting to see all the hatchlings taking their first breaths.
Maddie is from a small village in Essex and is currently enjoying studying Marine Biology at Bangor University in North Wales. Her favourite shift at Wildlife Sense is harbour shifts as it is such a special experience observing the adult turtles behaviours and interactions. In her spare time she can be found swimming, snorkelling and exploring Kefalonia!
Charlotte is from West Yorkshire, UK, and is a medical student at Keele University. Her first-time volunteering with Wildlife Sense was in 2023 and she loved every minute of it. Her favourite shifts are the tagging shifts because she loves the excitement of running down the bridge when a turtle has been spotted. In her spare time, you can often find Charlotte on the beach. Charlotte can’t wait to come back and make more incredible memories.
Lilian is from Germany and always looks forward to meeting new people that’s one of her favourite things about Wildlife Sense. She loves that people come together from all around the world to work together. Lilian’s expressed that her time as a volunteer was a ‘once-in-a-lifetime experience’, and she is incredibly excited to be part of the Wildlife Sense team this year.
Olivia is from, Alberta, Canada. She came across Wildlife Sense on social media and it immediately piqued her interest as it was completely something out of her comfort zone and wanted to try something new while deciding on what to do with her future. Olivia has been back to Wildlife Sense twice and has found a new passion for sea turtle conservation and wants to continue this new journey she has found.
Orlaith joined us in 2024 for 2-weeks and fell in love with the project. She has recently completed a degree in BSc psychology, spending a placement year working in research. Her highlight from her time as a volunteer was swimming a hatchling out to sea at sunset on her last night. In her free time, Orlaith will most likely be sitting on the beach, and she is always up for a game of cards.
Chloe is from Co. Wexford in Ireland. She has always loved animals, especially baby animals. Chloe fell in love with the project and the turtles while volunteering in 2024 and she can’t wait to return to Kefalonia. Her favourite shifts are inventories because she loves to see the tiny turtles hatch, wave their little flippers, wiggle along the sand and swim out to sea.
Amelia’s passion for the marine world was first discovered at a young age having grown up by the sea and received many Animal encyclopaedias for her birthday! Since volunteering she has also found her love for conservation, especially sea turtles!
Amélie is from Ireland. She is passionate about the conservation of marine life and is currently studying Marine Biology at University. She loves the night shifts, getting to see the nesting females and also loves helping the hatchlings to sea. In her free time, she likes to go to the beach to swim or try to spot turtles in the Argostoli harbour. She also loves snorkelling and scuba diving in the clear waters of Kefalonia.
Phill has been volunteering with Wildlife Sense since 2013. He supports volunteers in Lixouri, working on nesting beaches on the Paliki peninsula. His background is Environmental Science, and he is a retired teacher. Phill is always looking forward to another exciting season ready for those early morning patrols or an emergency nest relocation.
Giles from Cambridge, England. He’s super excited to be back with Wildlife Sense in Kefalonia for the fourth year running. Walking the beaches at night under the beautiful skies looking for nesting females is just magical, and he loves going for a snorkel in the crystal clear water on his rest days.
Ellen is from Bournemouth, England and studied Zoology at Southampton University, which lead to her first volunteering with Wildlife Sense in 2020. Her favourite shifts are night surveys, especially when she gets to witness a turtle nesting. She has also been fortunate enough to work with nesting leatherbacks, greens and olive ridley’s in Costa Rica.
Maya grew up along the coast of Ireland, always at the beach and wanting to explore the creatures of the ocean. She has a bachelor’s degree in environmental science, with zoology and ecology being her favourite topics! In her free time, you can find her at the beach, snorkelling with the fish or up in the mountains taking a hike. Her favourite part of the project was interacting with interested locals or tourists during harbour shifts, whilst observing the interactions and behaviours of the sea turtles.
Evie is from Norwich and enjoys all things nature and wildlife! Her favourite Wildlife Sense shifts are the morning cycles to Megas Lakkos and Vatsa. In her free time in Kefalonia, you will see her trying to talk to the turtles!
Tara is from Ireland and has a bachelor’s degree in marine science. She grew up adventuring around the Irish coasts which led to her love of the ocean. She first volunteered with Wildlife Sense in 2023 and fell in love with sea turtle conservation. When she’s not doing turtle work she is by the sea surfing, snorkelling or diving.
Holly is from a small village in Devon, UK, and recently completed a BSc in Biology. She first volunteered with Wildlife Sense in June 2023 which ignited her passion for marine conservation. She comes from a family of ocean lovers and scuba divers, so she spends every minute of free time in the sea!
Lucy is from Sussex, England and studied Biology at the University of York. She has always been passionate about animals, conservation and being outdoors which led her to Wildlife Sense in the summer of 2024 through her gold Duke of Edinburgh award. Her favourite bits were experiencing nesting females on night survey and watching the sunrise while walking the Lepeda beaches on morning survey!
Emma is from London, England and will be based in Argostoli and Skala this season. Emma loves to do nest inventories and see all the hatchlings crawl safely to sea. She studied Sociology at University and has since started a master’s in Animal Welfare. She loves learning how we can really make a difference for animals all over the world.
Josh is from a small village close to Norwich. For his degree, he studied history at the University of East Anglia but now feels more drawn toward conservation particularly after his experience with Wildlife Sense last year. Although it is hard to choose from the many great experiences at Wildlife Sense, his favourite shifts were hatchling rescue and inventories.
Lucy is from a town near Reading, UK and has previously volunteered with Wildlife Sense at the end of 2023. She studied Animal management at The Berkshire College of Agriculture and has a real passion for animals and conservation. In addition, she enjoys crafts, going on walks and travelling.
Claire is from Edinburgh and has a BSc in Marine Biology and an MSc in Marine Conservation. She first volunteered with Wildlife Sense back in 2019 where she instantly fell in love with sea turtles and has since volunteered every two years. In her free time, you can find her snorkelling always with the hope of spotting cool marine life!
Poppy is from Newcastle Upon Tyne, England and is completing a degree in Marine Biology at the University of Liverpool. She spent most of her childhood at the seaside where she developed a passion for marine life. She loves travelling and wants to help sea creatures all over the world. In her free time, she can be found doing all sorts of water activities.
Milly has recently graduated from the University of Exeter with a BSc in Geography. Whilst studying at the Cornwall campus she enjoyed chilly sea swims, sea cliff rock climbing and lots of Cornish pasties. She loves all things ocean-oriented and is looking forward to starting her master’s in Biodiversity and Conservation in 2025. You can often find her bobbing around in the sea at sunset or hiking to explore hidden beaches.
Millie is a Marine Biology student in Aberystwyth Wales. She first volunteered with Wildlife Sense in 2022, and since she has fallen in love with sea turtles and how they are like the dogs of the sea. Her first time seeing a hatchling on an inventory was a memory that will stick with her forever and encourages her to work hard to become a marine biologist.
Tyler is from Bournemouth in the UK but now lives near Dublin in Ireland (maybe one day that EU passport will return!) He has been with Wildlife Sense since 2020, and has also worked with Hawksbills, Leatherbacks and Greens in Grenada and Costa Rica. Born with a love of the sea and marine life, supported with a passion for travel and photography, Tyler will often be found walking the harbour with his camera, or off snorkelling somewhere along the coast.
Zoe is from the Midlands, UK, and first volunteered with Wildlife Sense in 2023 and loved her time with the project so returned for 2024. Her favourite shifts are morning surveys to find new nests and harbour shifts as she gets to share her knowledge and love of turtles with tourists.
Sophie is from Exeter and currently studies law at university. She is passionate about marine life and loves spending time near the water. She engages in activities like snorkelling and scuba diving on her days off. Sophie is often spotted watching turtles in the harbour, and her favourite shift is inventory, where she enjoys monitoring the nests and hopes during this shift to help the hatchlings to sea.
Lily has always had a passion for wildlife conservation. After volunteering in Greece, Lily decided she wanted to go to college for conservation and rehabilitation. She loves meeting people from other countries and learning about their different cultures. Her favourite Wildlife Sense shifts were walking the beach looking for nests while getting to see the beautiful sunrises!
Lucy is from South Wales and studied Biology at the University of Bath. She volunteered in 2024 and loved every single moment. Her favourite moments include the hatchling rescue night shift and nest inventories. She loved meeting new people from all over the world and made best friends for life!
Katie is from Kent in the South East of England. Ever since she volunteered in The Galápagos Islands in 2017 she has had a passion for the environment/wildlife and is eager to help as much as she can. In her spare time, she enjoys travel and days out with friends and family.
Mia’s love for the marine environment was planted at a young age, where she grew up in the South of England surfing and exploring the local ecosystems. Mia first volunteered with Wildlife Sense in 2021, where she discovered a love for field work and conservation – especially finding new nests on morning surveys; she has since returned every season and pursued studies for a BSc in Marine Biology. In her free time, Mia enjoys running, creating art and making friends with the local stray cats.
Laura is from North Yorkshire and is currently studying an MSc in Sustainable Tourism. Since first volunteering in 2021, her passion for marine conservation and ecotourism has flourished. Her favourite part of the project is meeting new people with the shared passion of conservation.
Millie’s passion for helping both people and animals started at a young age. Since first volunteering with Wildlife Sense in 2021, Millie has just kept returning, gaining valuable volunteer experience. As a recent graduate with a Fine Art Painting degree, her artistic passion adds a creative dimension to her conservation efforts as you can often find her sketching hatchlings or drawing the various animals that live within the Wildlife Sense community.
Annabel is from East Yorkshire and she fell in love with sea turtles and conservation after her first visit to Wildlife Sense in 2019. She has returned to the project ever since whilst completing her degree in Environmental Science. When Annabel is not spotting turtles along the harbour or on the beach finding tracks, she loves to spend her time eating vegan souvlaki and napping in a hammock.
Lucy is from West Yorkshire and is currently doing her MSci at Glasgow. She first volunteered in 2021 and has volunteered every year since! Lucy loves morning surveys and inventories, she says there is no better feeling than finding the eggs or watching the hatchlings crawl to sea! She spends her free time snorkelling, playing cards or reading.
Sorrel is from London, England and is studying Ecology and Conservation at Lancaster University. He has volunteered during both Nesting and Hatching seasons, and his favourite shift is morning survey due to the excitement of finding tracks on the beach! In his spare time he enjoys snorkelling in the sea and eating ice cream.
Despite growing up in inner-city Cardiff, Bethan has always loved being in nature & is keen to share her enthusiasm with others. After a rewarding 2 months in Kefalonia in 2024, she’s excited to return for another great season. During her free time, you can find her snorkelling in the crystal-clear waters or making friends with the local cats!
Martha is from Cheshire, England and fell in love with the programme as a volunteer, discovering a passion for fieldwork and conservation. She loves the sunrises on the Morning Surveys and in her spare time is probably on the beach or walking around Lixouri town, coffee in hand.
Charlotte is from Surrey, England and has a bachelor’s in Ecology and Wildlife conservation. She first volunteered in 2022 and after falling in love with the project, has returned every year since. In her free time, she can be found at the beach snorkelling with the hope of catching sight of a turtle!
Imogen has recently graduated from Lancaster University, where she studied Geography. In her free time, she really enjoys climbing, so during her days off you will often find her searching for a rock to cling to! Imogen’s favourite shift is Vatsa Morning Survey because it has some of her favourite beaches.
Ned is studying History and Politics in Manchester. Out of all the great experiences at Wildlife Sense, he thinks the top 3 are finding your first nest on a morning survey, sunset swims, and making lifelong friends from all over the world.
As part of my university placement year I came to Wildlife Sense from April to July 2024 as a volunteer. I am currently in my final year of Marine Biology at Plymouth University. My favourite shifts were tagging, loved getting hands-on! Harbour shift as well, I loved talking about the turtles in Kefalonia, the work we were doing and how people could help.