My name is Cheyenne-Mae Chang-Yunn (but Cheyenne
works just fine), I am a 20 year old local working with MCSS as a Field
Research Assistant for The Banyan Tree Resort Project Team.
I started on the 5th
February 2018 and from then on have been assigned with mostly all the tasks
carried out at the Wildlife & Rehabilitation Centre from terrapin and turtle
monitoring to daily minor up keeping.
It has been just over 2 month sworking at the Centre
which has been just enough to get used to the working environment and frame.
The
terrapin trapping sessions in the Intendance wetland has been put under my
accountability whereby I now choose the sites of putting the traps each week,
take responsibility of checking the traps, processing the terrapins caught and
ensure their release and safekeeping. I have found sensation in carrying out
this mission, since I have not worked with terrapins before yet hearing all
about it and it has been added to the list of endemic species and sub-species of
Seychelles that I have worked with.
Along with guest interaction, conducting
tour guides in English and French around the centre and power point
presentations, I also participate in conducting the ‘Adopt a Terrapin’ project
with the guests and the wetland bird monitoring.
I have also gained the opportunity to work with one
of my favorite animals - the sea turtles. I help with the monitoring activities on Anse Intendance, which is one of the most important nesting beach in the south of Mahe. I get the change to perform nest excavations, take measurements of the hatchlings (carapace
length, weight, etc.) and simply observe them entering the water for the first time.
Data recording is also part of my duties
along with working on the Banyan Tree Wildlife description document and more. Additionally I have been involved in other projects such as beaches characterization and sea turtle monitoring on other beaches.
Learning something new every other day
keeps the motivation high hence I am gaining more eagerness to keep on
acquiring knowledge in my work and planning out research work both off and on
field to smoothen my further studies in conservation work.