Internship Program

SEA TURTLE HEROES

VACANCY

Conservation – Get know to nature. A short-term experience for a long-term insight.

SEATRU Internship Programme is a structured programme for undergraduate students currently pursuing their degree / diploma in institutions of higher learning from local and international University / College. Experience hands-on training in conservation especially in sea turtle’s field.

No allowance are given. Accommodation, food and boat transfer are provided (for intern assigned at Chagar Hutang Turtle Sacntuary only). Throughout your internship, you will be participate in the conservation, research and outreach activities conducted by SEATRU, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu.

At the end of your time at SEATRU, you will have gained exposure and exclusive experience as a conservationist life at reference centre for sea turtle research in South China Sea.

Qualification

Duration : March - October
Period : 3 Month and above
Passionate about wildlife and conservation
Eager to learn new things
Initiative, Professional, Self Discipline
Able to tolerate adverse field conditions

Application Form

*** Students must provide an official letter from their university or agencies for internship program. (Attach related file on Other Documents)

*** Students must provide an official letter from their university or agencies for internship program.
(Attach related file on Other Documents)

“All the six weeks I spent in Chagar Hutang are my favorites. I loved living in the undisturbed nature, sleeping under the stars on the beach and having pythons, monkeys, and bats as our neighbours.”

I loved the whole experience from the first minute. Chagar Hutang is indeed the Turtle Heaven and for me, it is my personal Paradise. Seeing the huge turtles emerge onto the shore and lay eggs is a breathtaking experience. SEATRU’s volunteer program works amazingly, SEATRU educate people about the sea turtles and spread the importance of protecting the environment. Coming from a land-locked country it is understandable that prior going to Malaysia I had little knowledge about sea turtles. I’ve learned a lot about the biology and life cycles of the sea turtles in Terengganu but the most valuable knowledge I collected are the ones that came from personal experiences in Chagar Hutang.

- Szabina Udvardy (University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest)

“I loved every minute of my internship. I would recommend this internship program to other students that may want to complete masters in marine biology, oceanography or zoology as it will provide them with a feel for how it is to complete research in a field setting vs a lab-based setting.”

My initial impression was how hands-on the fieldwork/research was. After the first night of patrolling and the following morning of nest checks, I realized that I was given the opportunity to work with hatchlings and mother turtles in order to collect different data points for research that was on-going at the university. Another first impression that I had was how secluded the research base was, which was a little intimidating but very enjoyable. From this internship period, I have learned about the diverse conditions one can be faced when completing field research in tropical conditions. Data collection in the field can be difficult, as some mother turtles were difficult to tag, measure or even monitor while egg-laying. However, working alongside different rangers, researchers, and students I was taught numerous techniques to overcome some of the challenges.m personal experiences in Chagar Hutang.

- Emma Adams (University of Ottawa, ON, Canada)

“I had built a good network with all the volunteers that I came to know, which we still meet each other outside of the Chagar Hutang.”

There were a lot of fond memories that I had when I was at Chagar Hutang. I remember being very amazed at how Chagar Hutang really is surrounded by raw nature, and how it provides me with a really basic live condition. I love how the overhead night sky looks like when it is littered by tiny silver stars, while we walked and patrolled the beach guided only by the moonlight. Chagar Hutang has taught me how to be more independent especially when handling the volunteers and at the same time allowed me to improve my conversation skills with people from an array of background.

- Siti Nuridah Md Azahari (University of Malaya, Malaysia)

“The memory when I first touched the baby turtle and the mother turtle is one that I hold dearly. During my outreaching program, I happened to talk with a lot of foreigners and I'm happy that I took the chance to join this internship as it has helped my communication skills improve greatly.”

I was really happy the moment I got this internship. The moment I stepped into Chagar Hutang, I was surprised to see the place and it was really challenging because it is a very remote area. I had a great feeling whenever I serve the mother turtle. There are also volunteers from different background that come into Chagar Hutang every week to join the SEATRU conservation program, of which I’ve handled. I still remember vividly of the time I spent with those volunteers. They were simply amazing and helpful. Besides helping the researchers from different countries to collect samples, they were also really knowledgeable on various topics.

- Rishalni (Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia)

“With the experience I gained from SEATRU, now I’m able to educate those who never get a chance to volunteer in turtle conservation. I’ve also learned how to develop my soft skills especially communication skills. Hence from this internship, I gained new skills, new experience and meeting new friends.”

I was excited for my first experience in handling the sea turtles. All the coordinators were amazing and very helpful in explaining all the basic knowledge about sea turtles. The best memories I had throughout my internship would, of course, be with the sea turtles. Monitoring their nests for the whole incubation period was tiring yet very good experience to remember in the future. Other than sea turtles, meeting new friends from different continents and backgrounds taught me more worthy life experiences. I learned a lot about sea turtles from their mating process to when the hatchlings started to swim back to the sea.

- Intan Noradybah Md Rodi (Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Malaysia)

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