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Bali turtles claim long-distance benefactor
Eight-year-old city girl sparks fundraising effort for sanctuary
BY JENNIFER
HAMILTON-McCHARLES
TilE NUGGET
Hannah,Bywater kept her promise.
During a trip to Bali this year with
her parents, the eight-year-old handed
over a year's worth of allowance and
birthday money to a turtle sanctuary
to help it continue saving unhatched
turtle eggs.
As Hannah handed over $305, she
promised to return next year with
twice as much.
"We were a little shocked to hear
her say that," said Hannah's mother,
Jennifer McNutt Bywater.
"That's a lot of money and we really didn't know how she was going to
raise the $600."
McNutt Bywater knew it would
take more than her daughter's weekly
allowance of $7 to raise $600 so she
stepped in to help.
"We contacted a Bali carver and
asked him to make 100 wooden turtles," said the co-owner of Vested Interest in North Bay.
"We thought we would sell them to
family and friends for $5, but the response turned out to be overwhelming. So much so, that we ordered a few
hundred more."
It didn't take long for them to sell
out of turtles.
A third order was placed, which included an order for 100 turtles for a
customer who plans to give them to
guests at her wedding.
"We raised more than the average
salary of an Indonesian," McNutt Bywater said.
Hannah will travel with her parents to Bali in the new year to hand
over $1,600to the turtle sanctuary.
"The turtles need protecting, because some people are digging up the
eggs that are buried in the beach and
are selling them at the market or eating them," Hannah said.
"I wanted to help. These turtles are
close to becoming a species on the extinct list."
The turtles live in mini-pods at the
sanctuary and are fed at the beach so
they can hear the ocean - their natural environment.
When they are mature and venture
out on their own, they return to the
same spot 15 to 30 years later to hatch
their eggs.
"I love animals, they're so important,'; Hannah said, suggesting maybe
she will pursue a career as a veterinarian.
She was recognized Thursday for
her conservation efforts by the North
Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority.
Hannah received an honourable mention and donated her $100 award to All
Heart Pet Rescue in Powassan.
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Hannah Bywater will return to Bali in January with $1,600for a turtle sanctuary.
SPECIAL TO THE NUGGET