Name: Julie Walmsley
Age: 33
Place of birth: San Fransisco, California, USA
Current residence: Boa Vista, Cape Verde & London, UK
I was born in California and me and my family moved to New Jersey when I was a year old. I lived an active life – my best friend’s parents owned a roller skating rink and we would skate every hour of the day listening to our favourite Madonna songs. I spent every summer at summer camp running wild in the natural landscapes of New Jersey. When we moved back to Essex in England, I hated it. I only started to appreciate my British heritage in my late 20s. My accent confuses everyone, my American friends think I sound British’ while my British friends think I’m a yank through and through.
I’m a professional photographer, specializing in portraiture, fashion and product photography. I decided to freelance because I became frustrated working under people in big organizations and not having creative or artistic control.
I love the freedom and independence of finding work and building contacts. Photography wasn’t my first choice; I studied marine biology because it was something I wanted to do from a young age. Although I did not follow that career path, I volunteer in my spare time, mainly working with sea turtles.
The first voluntary project I got involved in protected leatherback turtles in Costa Rica, and then through a friend I found out about a project called Turtle Foundation set up in Cape Verde.
I visit every season and I have been promoted to camp coordinator. Small groups of us camp out in tents for four months on Boa Esperanca, one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever visited.
I never heard of Cape Verde before doing the project, , but I was passionate about endangered turtles and curious to find out more about the culture.
I wish I could, but I can’t explain why Boa Vista means so much to me. The first time I visited it felt like home in a weird way. Life passes at a different speed and people’s priorities are completely different. It really appeals to me.
Around the world the oceans inhabitants are becoming endangered. We have over-fished so many species that we are at risk of them never fully recovering and Europe, Japan, China and the USA are taking more than their fair share. Commercial fishing is one of the main culprits for the numbers of sea turtle crashing by 90% over the last two decades! On top of this turtle meat and eggs are eaten as a delicacy in Cape Verde and other parts of the world. The Turtle Foundation was set up to protect turtles from poachers and raise awareness about the issue.
When you are watching the turtles and protecting them during their reproductive journey, you can’t help but have the utmost respect for what they have achieved- the number of boats, nets and hooks they have avoided to lay their eggs is startling. I feel a sense of responsibility and pride in what Turtle Foundation is doing, especially when the turtles return safely to the ocean. It is one of the most rewarding jobs I have ever done!
Women have the power to be both sexy and strong.
I am Complexd because I want it all – a great career, living abroad, learning new languages and the determination to make it a reality!
View Julie’s Cape Verde camp experience here
Photographs by Julie Walmsley
Julie, you are amazing! you’re photos, your story! All inspirational! I will be looking into whether this is a trip we can make with a 2 year old next season! I have never seen a leatherback and it’s a dream of mine! Best of luck!
Thanks Rachel! Only Loggerhead turtles nest in Cape Verde but I sent you a few links for places in Tobago & Costa Rica where you can see one of the most amazing animals on earth (in my opinion!) Love your support- from such an inspirational woman yourself! x
My dog found a box turtle in our back yard. I thohgut maybe the rain might have washed it into our yard due to we live near a shallow creek. So I took it back into the woods so it can find its way home. Two weeks later the turtle is back in the same spot and yet again discovered by our dog. What should I do, I don’t want it to come back and my dog try eating it or something.
Great blog Julz, it’s very open and honest. While I am not trying to save a turtle a lot of the themes resonated with me. Good luck but I don’t think you need it. xx 🙂
Hi Nikki. Thanks for the luck! And thanks for letting me know you relate! Sometimes the hardest decisions give you the greatest happiness! J
Another excellent pdcsaot. I am so glad that you are doing these. From my research into box turtle information I have learned that some females also have red eyes. But generally the red eyes are on males but not exclusively. Also I wonder if your #2 turtle was once a race turtle. I wasn’t clear on how large the number was or if there were other numbers. Turtle racing does still occur and it encourages folks to take them from the wild and then after the races they are often just dumped back into the closest woodland. We should really try to ban the practice of turtle racing. Thanks so much for bringing attention to these remarkable creatures.
Hi Annette. The turtles I work with are marine sea turtles so only the females return to beaches to nest- usually every 2 to 3 years. I think what you are referring to is a problem with land turtles. It is great that you are helping to raise awareness of the problems they face- especially taking them from the wild, which I am completely against. Thanks for your comments!