Kenya NGO Saves Turtles from Nets, Plastic and Rising Tides
A small charity on the Kenyan coast has become vital to the region's majestic turtle population, saving thousands from poachers, fishermen's nets and ever-worsening plastic pollution.
On the beach of the seaside town of Watamu, it takes four men to heave the huge Loggerhead sea turtle into the back of a car.
She has just been saved from a fishing tackle and will be taken to a nearby clinic to be checked for injuries, then weighed, tagged and released back into the sea.
A Kenyan NGO, Local Ocean Conservation (LOC), has been doing this work for almost three decades and has carried out some 24,000 rescues.
"Every time I release a turtle, it's a really great joy for me. My motivation gets stronger and stronger," said Fikiri Kiponda, 47, who has been part of LOC's 20-odd staff for 16 years.
LOC began life in 1997 as a group of volunteers who hated seeing the creatures being eaten or dying in nets.
Turtles are still poached for their shells, meat and oil.
But through the charity's awareness campaigns in schools and villages, "perceptions have significantly changed", said Kiponda.
LOC, which relies mostly on donations, compensates fishermen for bringing them injured turtles.
More than 1,000 fishermen participate in the scheme and mostly do so for the sake of conservation, the charity emphasizes, since the reward does not offset the hours of lost labor.
- Floating turtles -
At the NGO's nearby clinic, health coordinator Lameck Maitha, 34, says turtles are often treated for broken bones and tumors caused by a disease called Fibropapillomatosis.
One current in-patient is Safari, a young Olive Ridley turtle around 15 years old -- turtles can live beyond 100 -- transported by plane from further up the coast.
She arrived in a dire state, barely alive and with a bone protruding from her flipper, which ultimately had to be amputated -- likely the result of fighting to free herself from a fisherman's net.
Safari has been recovering well and the clinic hopes she can return to the sea.
Other frequent tasks include removing barnacles that embed themselves in shells and flippers, weakening their host.
But a growing danger is plastic pollution.
If a turtle eats plastic, it can create a blockage that in turn creates gas, making the turtle float and unable to dive.
In these cases, the clinic gives the turtle laxatives to clear out its system.
"We are seeing more and more floating turtles because the ocean has so much plastic," said Maitha.
- Survivors -
LOC also works to protect 50 to 100 nesting sites, threatened by rising sea levels.
Turtles travel far and wide but always lay their eggs on the beach where they were born, and Watamu is one of the most popular spots.
Every three or four years, they produce hundreds of eggs, laid during multiple sessions over several months, that hatch after around 60 days.
The charity often relocates eggs that have been laid too close to the sea.
Marine biologist Joey Ngunu, LOC's technical manager, always calls the first to appear Kevin.
"And once Kevin comes out, the rest follow," he said with a smile, describing the slow, clumsy procession to the water, preferably at night to avoid predators as much as possible.
Only one in a thousand reaches adulthood of 20-25 years.
"Living in the sea as a turtle must be crazy. You have to face so many dangers, fish and poachers, and now human pressure with plastic and commercial fishing," he said.
"Turtles are definitely survivors."
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Asharq Al-Awsat
2 days ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Kenya NGO Saves Turtles from Nets, Plastic and Rising Tides
A small charity on the Kenyan coast has become vital to the region's majestic turtle population, saving thousands from poachers, fishermen's nets and ever-worsening plastic pollution. On the beach of the seaside town of Watamu, it takes four men to heave the huge Loggerhead sea turtle into the back of a car. She has just been saved from a fishing tackle and will be taken to a nearby clinic to be checked for injuries, then weighed, tagged and released back into the sea. A Kenyan NGO, Local Ocean Conservation (LOC), has been doing this work for almost three decades and has carried out some 24,000 rescues. "Every time I release a turtle, it's a really great joy for me. My motivation gets stronger and stronger," said Fikiri Kiponda, 47, who has been part of LOC's 20-odd staff for 16 years. LOC began life in 1997 as a group of volunteers who hated seeing the creatures being eaten or dying in nets. Turtles are still poached for their shells, meat and oil. But through the charity's awareness campaigns in schools and villages, "perceptions have significantly changed", said Kiponda. LOC, which relies mostly on donations, compensates fishermen for bringing them injured turtles. More than 1,000 fishermen participate in the scheme and mostly do so for the sake of conservation, the charity emphasizes, since the reward does not offset the hours of lost labor. - Floating turtles - At the NGO's nearby clinic, health coordinator Lameck Maitha, 34, says turtles are often treated for broken bones and tumors caused by a disease called Fibropapillomatosis. One current in-patient is Safari, a young Olive Ridley turtle around 15 years old -- turtles can live beyond 100 -- transported by plane from further up the coast. She arrived in a dire state, barely alive and with a bone protruding from her flipper, which ultimately had to be amputated -- likely the result of fighting to free herself from a fisherman's net. Safari has been recovering well and the clinic hopes she can return to the sea. Other frequent tasks include removing barnacles that embed themselves in shells and flippers, weakening their host. But a growing danger is plastic pollution. If a turtle eats plastic, it can create a blockage that in turn creates gas, making the turtle float and unable to dive. In these cases, the clinic gives the turtle laxatives to clear out its system. "We are seeing more and more floating turtles because the ocean has so much plastic," said Maitha. - Survivors - LOC also works to protect 50 to 100 nesting sites, threatened by rising sea levels. Turtles travel far and wide but always lay their eggs on the beach where they were born, and Watamu is one of the most popular spots. Every three or four years, they produce hundreds of eggs, laid during multiple sessions over several months, that hatch after around 60 days. The charity often relocates eggs that have been laid too close to the sea. Marine biologist Joey Ngunu, LOC's technical manager, always calls the first to appear Kevin. "And once Kevin comes out, the rest follow," he said with a smile, describing the slow, clumsy procession to the water, preferably at night to avoid predators as much as possible. Only one in a thousand reaches adulthood of 20-25 years. "Living in the sea as a turtle must be crazy. You have to face so many dangers, fish and poachers, and now human pressure with plastic and commercial fishing," he said. "Turtles are definitely survivors."
Arab News
2 days ago
- Arab News
Kenya NGO saves turtles from nets, plastic and rising tides
WATAMU: A small charity on the Kenyan coast has become vital to the region's majestic turtle population, saving thousands from poachers, fishermen's nets and ever-worsening plastic pollution. On the beach of the seaside town of Watamu, it takes four men to heave the huge Loggerhead sea turtle into the back of a car. She has just been saved from a fishing tackle and will be taken to a nearby clinic to be checked for injuries, then weighed, tagged and released back into the sea. A Kenyan NGO, Local Ocean Conservation (LOC), has been doing this work for almost three decades and has carried out some 24,000 rescues. 'Every time I release a turtle, it's a really great joy for me. My motivation gets stronger and stronger,' said Fikiri Kiponda, 47, who has been part of LOC's 20-odd staff for 16 years. LOC began life in 1997 as a group of volunteers who hated seeing the creatures being eaten or dying in nets. Turtles are still poached for their shells, meat and oil. But through the charity's awareness campaigns in schools and villages, 'perceptions have significantly changed,' said Kiponda. LOC, which relies mostly on donations, compensates fishermen for bringing them injured turtles. More than 1,000 fishermen participate in the scheme and mostly do so for the sake of conservation, the charity emphasizes, since the reward does not offset the hours of lost labor. At the NGO's nearby clinic, health coordinator Lameck Maitha, 34, says turtles are often treated for broken bones and tumors caused by a disease called Fibropapillomatosis. One current in-patient is Safari, a young Olive Ridley turtle around 15 years old — turtles can live beyond 100 — transported by plane from further up the coast. She arrived in a dire state, barely alive and with a bone protruding from her flipper, which ultimately had to be amputated — likely the result of fighting to free herself from a fisherman's net. Safari has been recovering well and the clinic hopes she can return to the sea. Other frequent tasks include removing barnacles that embed themselves in shells and flippers, weakening their host. But a growing danger is plastic pollution. If a turtle eats plastic, it can create a blockage that in turn creates gas, making the turtle float and unable to dive. In these cases, the clinic gives the turtle laxatives to clear out its system. 'We are seeing more and more floating turtles because the ocean has so much plastic,' said Maitha. LOC also works to protect 50 to 100 nesting sites, threatened by rising sea levels. Turtles travel far and wide but always lay their eggs on the beach where they were born, and Watamu is one of the most popular spots. Every three or four years, they produce hundreds of eggs, laid during multiple sessions over several months, that hatch after around 60 days. The charity often relocates eggs that have been laid too close to the sea. Marine biologist Joey Ngunu, LOC's technical manager, always calls the first to appear Kevin. 'And once Kevin comes out, the rest follow,' he said with a smile, describing the slow, clumsy procession to the water, preferably at night to avoid predators as much as possible. Only one in a thousand reaches adulthood of 20-25 years. 'Living in the sea as a turtle must be crazy. You have to face so many dangers, fish and poachers, and now human pressure with plastic and commercial fishing,' he said. 'Turtles are definitely survivors.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 days ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Cutting Off Rhinos' Horns is a Contentious Last Resort to Stop Poaching. New Study Found it Works
Cutting off the horns of sedated rhinos with a chainsaw has been viewed by wildlife conservationists in Africa for more than 30 years as a necessary evil to save the iconic endangered species from poaching. They hoped the drastic action was working, but evidence was scarce. Now, a study published Thursday in the academic journal Science has found that dehorning rhinos has led to a large reduction in poaching in game reserves in and around the Kruger National Park in northern South Africa — an area that's home to 25% of the world's rhinos and is especially vulnerable to poaching. The results of the seven-year study that ended in 2023 are seen as long-awaited evidence that removing rhinos' horns — which needs to be done every one to two years because they grow back — helps them survive, even if the animals lose part of their makeup. Consistently reduced poaching The conclusions seem obvious. Lucrative illegal markets in parts of southeast Asia and China crave rhino horns for use in traditional medicines, and removing the rhinos' horns take away what poachers are after. But Tim Kuiper, a biodiversity scientist at South Africa's Nelson Mandela University and the lead author of the study, said it was new to have long-term data from multiple sites on dehorning rhinos. He said the study, conducted between January 2017 and December 2023, focused on 11 reserves in the Kruger area and compared data from eight that dehorned their rhinos against the three that didn't. It also analyzed data from the reserves before and after they dehorned their rhinos. The study showed that dehorning consistently reduced poaching, Kuiper said. It found that the dehorning of more than 2,000 rhinos resulted in a 78% reduction in poaching in those eight reserves, providing some confirmation that such an invasive intervention was worth it. 'It is a big part of what a rhino is, having a horn,' The Associated Press quoted Kuiper as saying. 'So having to remove it is kind of a necessary evil, if I can put it that way. But it's very effective. There's no doubt it saved hundreds of rhinos' lives.' South Africa has the largest numbers of black and white rhinos. Namibia, Zimbabwe and Kenya also have significant populations. There are around 17,500 white rhinos and 6,500 black rhinos left in the world, with black rhino numbers reduced from 70,000 in 1970 to less than 2,500 by the time poaching reached a crisis point in the mid-1990s, according to the Save the Rhino organization. Dehorning was not always accepted Dehorning rhinos started in southern Africa as early as 1989. It has not been accepted without question. There has been opposition from animal rights activists but also questions from conservationists over what impact it has on a rhino's wellbeing, and what a future might look like with more hornless rhinos. Vanessa Duthe, a rhino researcher in South Africa not involved in the study, said rhinos use their horns to defend themselves against predators, to compete for territory and, in the case of black rhinos, to look for food. There is also evidence that dehorned rhinos adjust their movements to live in smaller ranges, she said. She said conservationists don't know the full impacts of dehorning, but research had found it had no adverse effect on rhinos' breeding rates or mortality rates. 'What we do know is that the benefits of dehorning by far outweigh any ecological cost that we're aware of today,' Duthe said. She said dehorning a rhino now takes around 10 minutes and the process causes minimum distress. Blindfolds and earmuffs are put on sedated rhinos during dehorning, which also provides an opportunity to microchip rhinos and collect samples that aid research. Only one part of the battle Conservationists agree that dehorning alone will not end rhino poaching and Kuiper said he saw it as a short-to-mid-term solution. Other efforts like more effective law enforcement and better support for game rangers on the frontline are key. While South Africa has helped pull rhinos back from the threat of extinction, more than 400 rhinos a year are still killed by poachers in the country. The dehorning study was a collaboration between scientists from three South African universities, Oxford University in England and game reserve managers and rangers. It also involved the South African National Parks department, the World Wildlife Fund and the Rhino Recovery Fund.
