Captain June Haimoff

In 1987 developers began bulldozing areas around Itzuzu beach at the mouth of the Dalyan Delta in Turkey planning to build a huge hotel complex.
June Haimoff had been petitioning for many years previously to prevent such a catastrophic environmental disaster from happening.
Itzuz beach is one of the main nesting sites of the Mediterranean Loggerhead turtle (Carretta Carretta)
She managed to rally influential support from around the globe at that time including Prince Phillip, Patron of WWF and the acclaimed environmentalist Dr David Bellamy to prevent the development from happening.

Today, 28 years later, the whole Dalyan Delta is a protected site and won the award of best open space in Europe in 2008. thanks entirely to the passionate leadership of June Haimoff.

This feisty 88 year old woman continues to look at innovative ways of raising awareness and funds to continue the work of protecting the nesting sites of the Loggerhead turtles.

She works closely with Professor Yakup Ka?ca of Pamukale University and is planning to set up a scholarship scheme.

We were invited to have breakfast this morning at the Sea Turtle Sanctuary to meet the volunteer team and see Deniz, a 65 year old male Loggerhead whose front flipper was almost severred by a discarded fishing line so that he was unable to avoid the propellor of a motor boat which also damaged his shell.
Deniz is being returned to health in the sanctuary. From May to September volunteers patrol the beach all night long keeping lookout for predatory foxes who will dig up and eat the newly laid eggs and hatchlings.

Check out June Haimoff Sea Turtle Foundation if you would like to support this worthwhile cause.