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Cousin Island Special Reserve, Seychelles
trop-shear
Volunteering in surreal abundance

When you read explorers’ accounts of their first arrival in an uninhabited, pristine landscape, their descriptions speak of a surreal abundance. They speak of literally tripping over dense animal life on the ground, of creatures so tame and unaccustomed to humanity that they do not scatter at the mere sight or sound of Homo sapiens. Arriving on Cousin Island gave me a small taste of what it might have been like to be an explorer in such a privileged position.

Island volunteers came down to pull my boat in and greet me. Joining the human welcoming party clustered along the coastline were dense groups of hermit crabs, ghost crabs, pigeons, foddys, moorhens as well as several giant land tortoises. I was then introduced to George, one of the oldest tortoises on the island. . George is a friendly beast who loves having his neck patted. Upon initiation of a petting session he will stand up high on his trunk-like legs and stretch out his neck so you can touch as much of his skin as possible. If you are close to him but do not initiate petting, he will walk directly over to you and wait expectantly.

I will be on Cousin and enjoying its incredible wildlife for the next month while Volunteering with Nature Seychelles. I will get to help gather data for wildlife monitoring studies, participate in continued environmental recovery operations and assist with the daily tourist visits to the island.

Seychelles conservationists have a lucky force on their side- The Seychelles is a massive draw for tourists. The people who visit Cousin Monday to Friday essentially fund Cousin’s conservation activities with their visit. It’s nice to round up my Keegan Travelling Fellowship year with an NGO that has less trouble securing funding for the projects it wishes to undertake.

Emma Steigerwald