Whale Sharks

Category: Fundraising | Date: Aug 19 2008 | By: whalesharks

Hello everyone!

I received this email from Jane Spilsbury in Watamu. She and her husband Steve Trott used to run the Watamu Turtle Watch. I have posted in earlier blogs about the fantastic work they do. This is a picture of Jane and Steve working with a small turtle who was sick.

Turtles get constipated really easily. When this happens they have to be force-fed a special solution to unblock them. First you have to hold their little mouths open with a stick.

Then you insert the tube with the medication. As you can see it is involved, delicate work. We watched Steve and Jane help turtles all morning on our visit with them.

Please have a read of the below and try to help Lesley who also does critical work in Australia. She has helped the Watamu Turtle Watch on numerous occasions so we now must help her.

Thank you! 

Dear Friends, Many of you will be familiar with internationally renowned Lesley Baird who runs CHELONIA Wildlife Rehabilitation & Release Centre in Broome, Australia. Lesley has worked tirelessly and single-handedly to rehabilitate sick and injured wildlife for the last 8 years, an operation which she finances herself.  For five years she has advised Watamu Turtle Watch on the rehabilitation of sea turtles, often speaking at length on a daily basis in respect of critical patients. She has helped WTW save over 50 sick sea turtles during Steve Trott’s and my time with WTW. She devotes her time selflessly, 7 days a week, often working over 12 hours a day. Unfortunately the future of Chelonia is threatened. Below is a précis of a plea directly from Lesley made to the Broome community. Please click on Chelonia’s website below to make a donation however small. Thank you for your time, and please pass this message on to anyone you think can help- Jane Spilsbury 

Hello   …   Chelonia is a not-for-profit, fully volunteer facility which specializes in the rehabilitation and release of wild birds and reptiles, including sea snakes and endangered sea turtles.Since 2000 when I established Chelonia I have personally carried nearly all the costs of operation. Now that Chelonia takes in around 700 patients per year I find that I can no longer afford to keep Chelonia running without outside financial assistance.It costs an average of Aus$350 per week to keep Chelonia running, this money covers food, special dietary formulas, and medications. No overheads such as phone, car, or office supplies are included, I will continue to cover those expenses myself. There is no other organization operating in Broome which cares for birds or reptiles. If Chelonia is forced to close there will be nobody to take in those 700 or so patients each year. This means that if you find a bird or reptile which needs help there will be nobody to take it to, and it will most probably have to be euthanased.  Thank you for taking the time to read this email. It will be wonderful if you can donate any amount to help keep Chelonia running. Any donation that you can afford will  be very gratefully received.  You can make your donation by clicking on the web link below. On the HOME page you will find a donation facility which will enable you to make a Credit Card donation through PayMate, OR you can mail a cheque to the address listed below. Thank you     …  

Lesley Baird  

PO Box3266
Broome, Western Australia, 6725
http://www.multiculturalwa.net.au/chelonia