Turtle Camp on Thevenard Island

It was 4 days sun-filled fun when our Wirra Kids from Onslow headed to Thevenard Island on what is affectionally known as “Turtle Camp”.

Supported by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attraction the kids were there to see and learn about the flatback turtle population on the island.

In 2016 the Department of Parks and Wildlife started a flatback turtle monitoring program on Thevenard Island. The scientific and management objectives of this program are to assess the size of the flatback turtle population nesting on Thevenard Island (by counting tracks and tagging females) and to deploy satellite tags to track female turtles’ movements during and after the nesting season.

Collected data contributes to a broader understanding of the ecology and demography of the Pilbara flatback turtle population.

Onslow Family Support Mentor Suzanne said the kids had a blast during their time on the camp.

“Our Wirra Kids and families had such a great time on camp this year with water activities, turtles nesting and we were all very lucky enough to see a nest hatching which topped off the 4-day trip over to Thevenard Island.”

An important part of the trip for the kids was learning more about the flatback turtle population.

“Our hosts DBCA shared so much information with us all about turtle’s life spans, nesting and hatching over the duration of camp.

The kids loved walking at night with their red lights spotting the turtles,” she said.

It’s also so nice to watch the kids engage so well with the Perth Wirrpanda Mentors that come up each year to be a part of the camp”

Onslow Family Support is proudly supported by the National Indigenous Australians Agency and BHP.