Dr. Shiva Sawmy spent 3 weeks as a Visiting Vet at the Marine Turtle Rescue Centre in September 2019. He called the experience “An otherworldly adventure in the Maldives – veterinary care, rehabilitation and release of injured wild sea turtles”.

Our Visiting Vet Program has been a great success! In our first season, we welcomed five visiting vets who brought new skills, medications and equipment that benefited our turtle patients and resident vets alike. In return, they got hands on experience working with wild sea turtles in a tropical location.

The whole experience was life changing, so much so that I have come home and resigned from my job of 28 years! It taught me that there is so much more to this life, and I intend to live it. We have a beautiful planet, and we need to fight to keep it, despite the odds! ~Kim Simkins

Kim Hildebrandt, the 2019 Rolex Scholar of the Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society, is a 3rd year Veterinary Medicine student from Germany. She spent two weeks at the Marine Turtle Rescue Centre in July 2019. She found it to be an eye-opening experience and a fantastic opportunity to gain insight in this niche field within Veterinary Medicine.

Sony Miles was the first vet to join ORP’s Visiting Veterinarian Program. The aim of the program is to share skills and expertise. Sony was able to impart her knowledge as an experienced reptile vet and surgeon, whilst gaining experience with a species, in an environment, that she would never normally get the opportunity to work with or in.

Brian Anton volunteered at the ORP Rescue Centre for a month, and it was a very eventful month indeed! He recommends anyone who loves traveling, animal medicine, and sea turtles to take advantage of this opportunity to volunteer with sea turtles. Find what Brian got up to and why he loved every minute.

Olive Ridley Project’s second sea turtle research expedition to Haa Alif Atoll was another great success. Three volunteers joined the ORP team and expedition leader Nina Rothe for the month long adventure. Here is Nina’s update from the field.

Former Marine Turtle Marine Centre volunteer Hatti is a Legal and Policy Researcher at environmental law charity ClientEarth in London. She had a fantastic time volunteering at the Olive Ridley Project’s turtle rescue centre at Coco Palm on Dhuni Kholu in May 2018. Here she explains the importance of the work she saw. You can keep up to date with … Read More

A Holiday Volunteering With Turtles Dr Stewart Bedford was looking for a different kind of holiday and decided that volunteering with turtles and the Olive Ridley Project (ORP) at the Marine Turtle Rescue Centre in the Maldives would fit the bill. He was not disappointed: “For the first two days I was in a daze – nothing seemed real. Arriving … Read More

ORP’s First Sea Turtle Research Expedition – A Great Success Our first sea turtle research expedition in Haa Alif Atoll last November was a great success. The ORP team and volunteers surveyed 25 sites and recorded a total of 91 turtle sightings. In addition, we encountered sharks, dolphins, rays, and many tropical fish. Unfortunately, we also added 37 ghost gear … Read More