Terrapin breeding with Nicola

Hey, my name is Nicola. I am a 25-year-old vet student from Austria and I am currently doing one of my final internships at the Rescue and Rehabilitation center at the banyan tree resort. 

At University I did the special education module for conservation medicine so this internship is the perfect opportunity for me to round off my knowledge. 

In the two weeks, I have been here I have already learned a lot about the different aspects of a conservation sector. Not only does MCSS take care of the animals, they also map out the habitats, check out possible threats to them and raise awareness within the local community. 

Yesterday a group of school kids visited the center and we talked to them about the wetlands, terrapins and sea turtles. After the presentations, we carried out bird monitoring and tried to show them how important conservation work is. 

One of the two species of terrapins you can find here, the Seychelles yellow belly mud turtle is an endemic species and is critically endangered. That's why I am currently working on a proposal to start a captive breeding program.
For the captive breeding program, I have to figure out what the terrapins need and how many individuals are necessary for successful reproduction. 
I am comparing them with other species to see how they have been bred, but it is difficult to develop a plan because so little is known about terrapins. But I'll figure it out as I go. 

What I like most about MCSS is that every volunteer gets their own project in their special field of interest and the staff always tries to work together and help where they can. 
Right from the start, I felt welcome here and I am looking forward to my next two weeks working with this great team!