Book
»Only someone as passionate and dedicated as the author will persevere in spite of the heartbreak every time she loses one of the sea turtles she is studying«
Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, UN Messenger of Peace.
"Meine Reise mit den Meeresschildkröten" was published in German by Malik in March 2023.
The English edition "My Life with Sea Turtles" was published by Greystone Books in May 2024
Christine Figgener
My Life with Sea Turtles
A Marine Biologist’s Quest to Protect One of the Most Ancient Animals on Earth
Meine Reise mit den Meeresschildkröten
Wie ich als Meeresbiologin für unsere Ozeane kämpfe
“A wonderful book that will appeal to anyone interested in the world around us.”—DR. JANE GOODALL
Filled with reverence and wonder for the natural world, this captivating book reveals the secret life of sea turtles, one of the oldest living creatures on Earth, alongside one female scientist’s fight to save their future.
In 2015, a team of researchers carefully removed a plastic straw from a sea turtle's nostril off the coast of Costa Rica. The disturbing incident, which was captured on video, went viral, leading to corporate straw bans around the world. In this evocative book, reminiscent of Jane Goodall's memoir In the Shadow of Man, the marine biologist behind the camera, Christine Figgener, recounts her own life spent studying and protecting sea turtles.
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From the time she was a young girl, Figgener was determined to become a biologist and study the marvels of the marine world. In My Life With Sea Turtles, she shares how she went from a small, gray town on the edge of industry to the lush coastline of Costa Rica, where she fell in love with the local environment and its famous residents: the sea turtles.
Figgener describes patrolling the beach at night, swimming with turtles in the open ocean, watching tiny turtles emerge from sandy nests, and risking her life during tropical storms. We learn about her experience as a woman in conservation, a male-dominated space where she struggles to be taken seriously. Through discovering the fascinating science of sea turtles and the threats they face today, readers will be inspired to live their own lives differently to ensure the survival of these magnificent creatures.