www.ssnakess.com has generously agreed to help out with some fund raising and awareness I am trying to do in regards to the leatherback sea turtle. Jeff has kindley agreed to to put up a banner linked to a webpage that I am creating to educate the public about the grave danger of extinction this massive beast faces. They could be extinct in 10 to 30 years if things keep going the way they do.
I just wanted to give you guys the heads up and wanted to encourage any of you to do what you can to raise some money to help in their conservation. We will be putting up some posters and a collection box here at Little Rays Reptile Zoo soon to collect money to help in this conservation effort.
One of the last handful of the leatherback's nesting sites is on the Andaman and Nicobar islands in the Indian Ocean. These nesting sites are in danger because of sand mining and the turtles are also in danger because of the massive fishing nets that are used... especially in tuna fishing. The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust has a division called ANET which is based on these islands. they do a lot of amazing conservation work there. I will put all the detailed information up on the webpage that I create.
If any of you would like to donate or would like to do some fund raising yourselves and send the cheques to the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust that would be amazing. I will put all their information on the webpage.
I will be visiting the Madras Crocodile Bank in August (to gain some experience working with crocs and venemous snakes as a wildlife educator and to meet with the people there to see what I can do to help them with their work as a director of the Endangered Species Fund or Canada). I will be taking down whatever funds we raise here in Ottawa to them personally.