WE ARE VITAL ACTIONS.
*Before inquiring about sea turtle releases or volunteering please read notes below.
All other inquires please use this email:
Action@VitalActions.org
*about sea turtle hatchling releases: (Please read and understand this before writing us.) We do not, and never will, exploit endangered sea turtles for attention or fundraising purposes and we hope that you will not support irresponsible projects who do. The sea turtles have natural behaviors that control when they hatch and what they immediately need to do. We do not control hatching schedules nor will we alter their natural behaviors at the expense of their well-being. Without human encroachment they emerge from the nest and they immediately run to the ocean and for the sake of their survival we must replicate that. They emerge dehydrated and with just enough food energy to make the critical run and long swim to reach an ocean current where they need to end up in order to find food and safety. Sea turtle hatchlings held captive and forced to use energy for extended periods become weak as they begin to suffer from hunger. Prolonged dehydration also causes nervous system damage and ruins their important instinct driven sense of direction. With the bulk of natural hatching being during midnight hours a very small percentage will actually hatch during daylight hours. It is nearly impossible to predict or schedule exact hatch and release times if we are doing what is best for the survival of the hatchlings. Our hatcheries are constantly staffed 24 hours a day so that we can properly assist the hatchlings when they need it and they are always released within a few minutes of emerging from the sand. Of course we understand that you would love to see a release event but we cannot offer prearranged times our any sort of tour experience. If you write asking for this from us you will be wasting your time. There are occasionally times when we have a clear prediction and can announce a strong chance on certain days and at times we can announce a 20-30 minute notice. If you are nearby one of our hatcheries the best way to know of any times like these is to follow our Instagram profile and watch for stories where we post these sort of alerts. We thank you for understanding as we continue to do what is best for the endangered sea turtles.
*about Volunteering: We do not utilize a model with short term volunteering and are not seeking volunteers. It is more in alignment with our goals and more efficient to create salaried job positions for locals where we operate. Please note that insisting that we should create something for you will not help your cause. If you feel that you can provide genuine and specific longer term assistance with our efforts, or you are looking for empowerment in the form of a longer term skill share/learning experience we are open to receiving a brief proposal sent to the email above. You should include information about: what you believe that you have to add to or learn from our campaigns, why you want to be involved with VA, relevant experience, possible timeline, specific needs, and compensation if expected in your proposal.