In November, two of our instructor team travelled to the African island nation of Cape Verde to deliver a series of cetacean live stranding response courses.
The country sees a wide range of marine species, but during summer they’re particularly vulnerable to mass strandings. To help strengthen response organisation, animal welfare and rescue techniques, a collaboration of organisations led by the Turtle Foundation and their national counterpart Fundação Tartaruga brought together an incredible group of responders. Classroom lectures and shoreside practical sessions were delivered by our experienced instructors, Dan and Boonie.
Participants included teams from Project Biodiversity, Natura 2000, BIOS, Ambassadors for the Environment, police officers, firefighters, veterinarians (including T.U.R.T.L.E. Veterinary Services), Government representatives and members of the local community.
Across four training sessions on two islands, nearly 80 participants took part — a huge step forward in building a trained response network. Both islands are now equipped with their own set of whale pontoons while further resources, protocol guidance and ongoing support will continue after the visit.
During the trip, Dan and Boonie also met many of the conservation teams working tirelessly across Cape Verde: turtle nest protectors, drone and dog units combatting poaching, Lixo Limpo transforming beach plastic into new products, and young conservationists running beach cleans and community projects. They were hugely impressed by the passion and dedication of the Cape Verdean community.
A huge thank you to everyone involved in organising this packed schedule, especially Sara, Rui, Harrison, Kate, Abdul and Albert for their support, coordination and expertise in making this collaboration possible.
Stay tuned for Part 2. Exploring the environmental and safety challenges faced on the islands!
