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Share I’d like to volunteer. What can I do to help?
The sea turtle rescue center relies on teams of volunteers for ongoing operations as well as in emergencies. The turtles being treated and the breeding nucleus need daily care including cleaning the pools, feeding them and tracking the water temperature. Every turtle at the center gets a thorough cleaning once a week, is measured and weighed and also receives medical attention as needed. The volunteers at the center also take part in special treatments, and help move turtles and take part in their release.
Among the routine tasks at the center:
- Measuring water temperature in every tank each morning and afternoon
- Weighing and sorting lettuce for feeding
- Weighing and sorting dead fish for feeding
- Hand-feeding weaker turtles
- Collecting droppings and food remnants from the rehabilitation tanks
- Thorough cleaning of the rehabilitation tanks
- Cleaning, weighing and measuring the turtles
- Cleaning the compound and the feeding and treatment stations
- Washing, hanging out to dry and folding towels
- Ongoing maintenance of the site; repairs due to ordinary wear and tear of pipes, wood, rust, etc.
Work hours
Volunteers begin work at 8 A.M. on weekdays (9 A.M. on weekends) and usually finish by around noon. Once every two weeks is treatment day for the turtles in the breeding nucleus. That requires a large team of volunteers who might keep working until 2 P.M.
In addition to the above are tasks thet aren’t routine. For example:
- Receiving and treating injured sea turtles that are brought to the center (beyond regular working hours as well)
- Trips to the vet (usually this is after working hours and can last into the wee hours!)
- Release to the sea of rehabilitated turtles
The work of the volunteers at the center is essential. Without our volunteers at the center on a daily basis, we would not be able to operate it.
Do you want to join our team of volunteers? Here’s what you need to know:
Volunteers must be at least 18 years old.
Volunteer work is no picnic! It’s dirty, very physical, and must be carried out precisely every day, in every kind of weather. The work requires responsibility, patience – the right attitude toward animals. It also requires a certain amount of expertise. We don’t ask for previous experience; we provide training at a special session and during your first shift. We aspire to have a team of experienced and professional volunteers who know the rescue center inside and out, how to avoid mishaps and what to do if they happen, and who can operate the center even in the absence of the regular staff. Volunteers who don’t come often or regularly hurt the professionalism of our efforts and in the end, hurt the turtles in rehabilitation as well.
In light of this, we ask volunteers to commit to at least 12 shifts, once a week at least.
Still interested?
Email us with your résumé or a few sentences about yourself – Israelseaturtle@npa.org.il
If you’re a good fit, we’ll put you on our waiting and let you know when a training session is scheduled.
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