Get Involved
Other ways you can get involved...
- Donate to help fund our center and spread awareness of the threats sea turtles face. Please click here to donate, every donation is appreciated big or small!
- Help us clean the beach for the sea turtles by joining us on a litter pick. Please email us at [email protected] to know when our next scheduled litter pick is taking place, or ask for supplies at our information center!
- Join us on one of our Gerakas Beach morning surveys that we do every day at 7am during turtle season, please email us at [email protected] to secure a place, and click here to find out what we do on our morning surveys!
- Meet Yannis Vardakastanis the TURTLE LEGEND who has been researching sea turtles for over 30 years and has experienced the highs and lows of Zakynthos his whole life. Please email us at [email protected] to schedule a meeting with him and the Program Director if you would like to learn more. Click here to learn more about Yannis and the history of our center!
- Tour of our sea turtle rescue and information center by one of our volunteers or interns to learn more about the sea turtles of Zakynthos, who we are, what we do, and how you can help protect them. Please email us at [email protected] prior to visiting to schedule a tour as time and availability is subject to changes. Click here to learn how you can reduce your impact!
- Take a break and sit in on one of our daily lectures at our cinema which will be ready by SUMMER 2025!
- Feed our terrapins and tortoises. Please email us at [email protected] prior to visiting as feeding times are subject to change and availability.
- Spread awareness to friends and families and lobby the Greek government and organisations in charge of monitoring and protecting the sea turtles and beaches to help encourage better future protection of the endangered Caretta caretta (loggerhead sea turtle) species! Click here to learn about the threats they face on Zakynthos!
Baby sea turtle hatchlings emerge from the nest for the first time ready to embark on their journey towards the sea. It is estimated that only 1 in 1000 hatchlings will survive to reach adulthood as a result of the many threats they face!
Our volunteers and interns do weekly litter picks on Gerakas Beach, a sea turtle nesting beach next to our center, and the car park or area surrounding our center to keep the area clean of any trash that could negatively impact any animals, including sea turtles, birds and stray cats or dogs. This is important considering it has been estimated that over one million sea turtles are killed each year by ingesting plastic and other forms of debris. This accounts for around 10% of the entire population of sea turtles. In 2023 our volunteers completed over 30 hours of litter picking!
A Caretta caretta (loggerhead sea turtle) female nesting track having emerged from the sea to lay her eggs in the sand on Gerakas Beach. This process can take an hour as it is very exhausting for the female. The eggs are then left to incubate for an average of 60 days until baby hatchlings are produced, nests produce on average 70% of eggs in a nest, which on average contain 100 eggs.
Yannis Vardakastanis owns our Zante Sea Turtle Rescue & Information Center, and founded our organisation the Mediterranean Marine Life Center with the goal of helping protect the endangered sea turtles of Zakynthos, and spread awareness on the harm the tourism industry causes on the island’s wildlife. He has worked with and researched sea turtles for over 30 years and has dedicated his life to protecting their survival. He leads our morning surveys and helps educate visitors on how they can help prevent themselves from becoming a threat.
Our Zante Sea Turtle Rescue & Information Center was built in 2012 with the goal of becoming a sea turtle rescue center to care for sick and injured turtles, we still need funding to make our dream become a reality, you can help us reach our goal by donating! Until we reach our goal we continue to operate as an information center to engage with members of the public.
Meet Zak one of our rescued terrapins named after our beautiful island Zakynthos. Zak is estimated to be 20 years old, and like many of the other terrapins at our center he was abused by previous owners who were unable to properly take care of him. He is 1 of 13 terrapins at our center that we take care of all year round because they are unable to be released back into the wild. This is because due to their history, they are domesticated and would therefore not survive in the wild!
One of our previous volunteers taking care of a rescued tortoise. We have cared for and released over 200 tortoises that were rescued from the side of the road to prevent them from being hit by cars. At the end of the tourist season, we release the tortoises to a safe location where they can roam for the remainder of their life with plenty of food.
