Our Latest News- May 20, 2025

Argostoli Field Station

It has been a busy couple of weeks here at Wildlife Sense as we have started our morning surveys in search of the season’s first nest. Our volunteers have dedicated their time to complete beach profiles and over 10 hours of beach cleans to prepare healthy nesting environments for females. This week we found our first turtle tracks of the season and are hopeful we will find the first nest soon!

During tagging shifts, where we collect data for our Capture-Mark-Recapture (CMR) project, we unfortunately came across four loggerheads in need of first aid treatment due to ingestion and entanglement of fishing lines, nets and hooks. This is an ongoing issue for turtles here in Kefalonia. Fortunately, they were safely released back into the sea and are expected to make a strong recovery thanks to the swift efforts from the team. We also managed to find an untagged green sea turtle named Butternut, the second green of the season!

We have been observing the turtles in the harbour, monitoring their behaviours and interactions, as well as informing the public about our work. The volunteers have been finishing off their busy days with activities such as sunset swims, quizzes and well deserved pizza nights.  They have spent their days off exploring the island’s beaches and towns. Their shared experiences in the field and during downtime have created a strong sense of teamwork here at the project for the busy season ahead!

Lixouri Field Station
Our first group of volunteers have landed here in our Lixouri field station! Even with the weather not being on their side, this has not dampened their enthusiasm or spirits! They have enjoyed learning about the importance of marine conservation and the jobs they do here in Wildlife Sense.

From surveying harbours  to beach cleans and beach profiling, they feel well-equipped for when the nesting season begins. They have begun our morning surveys of our nesting beaches and we are excited for our first nest to arrive! Through bonding over beach rounders, trips for lunch to Argostoli, and scavenger hunts, volunteers are getting to know their second family for the next few weeks! After a turtle talk given by a specialist of our organization, volunteers have come to understand turtles are not only a charismatic marine animal, but also a prominent part of our ecosystem and the impacts of their decline.

Through fostering an understanding of the biological and environmental importance and impacts of humans on these species, they are excited to do their bit and help in any ways they can! They are excited to see what the next week will hold for them and are hoping to beat the Argostoli Field Station in the race to get the first nest of the 2025!