Pre-event at Underwater World Singapore

In the early hours of the 6^th of June, 2010, the Project Orion II team found themselves at Underwater World Singapore (UWS) in order to participate in its pre-event portion of the Scouts of the World Voluntary Service Project component. What started as an uphill task to gather at pre-dawn hours in the morning turned into an unique experience through which all of us truly walked away with something learned and something gained.

Group photo with Professor Diong Cheong Hoong

The pre-event started with an informative and detailed lecture by Professor Diong Cheong Hoong from the National Institute of Education, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Science Education; a leading sea turtle researcher in Singapore. During the lecture, he touched on important topics that helped us to understand the subject of our conservation efforts so much better. Important information such as the migratory patterns of the sea turtles to the regional conservation efforts all provided valuable insights into sea turtle conservation work and the many barriers it faces. In addition, we were also provided with much practical advice, such as the identification and differentiation of turtle species, which would certainly help us out in the field. The odds are, anyone would probably hate to mistake a hawksbill turtle from a green turtle during the project.

Feeding the hawksbill and green turtles

After the lecture, the team received a guided tour by the kind staff at UWS. Apart from getting to feed the sea turtles (which was certainly fun), the team was also allowed to enter the quarantine area of the aquarium. This behind-the-scenes experience was one that few of us has ever had a chance to experience and it was certainly the highlight of the pre-event. Not only were we given a look at how the aquarium functioned behind all the glitz and glamour that is the face of UWS, we were also treated to the sight of young hawksbill turtles that arrived from Japan. Being able to come so close to them was indeed a thrill and a half. Additionally, we were also introduced to some of the other residents of UWS and treated to interesting stories: the turtle that wouldn’t eat until it received a good dose of sunlight. All in all, it was definitely an educational and enjoyable event.

Getting close to the young hawksbills from Japan

Perhaps what struck me most during the pre-event was the constant reminder of Ferdinand Foch’s quote, that ‘the most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire’. Passion and belief are perhaps the two main driving forces behind conservation work and those two traits were in abundance during the pre-event. From the staff at UWS who sacrificed their rest day to be with us to Professor Diong who came in specially to provide us with the lecture, everyone of them were dedicated to both the cause and to spreading the good word. It is the fruits of their labor that the Project Orion II team has truly inherited and experienced and hopefully, in our own small ways, we will be able to pass them on.

Chong Chow Wee