A group of seven “Fantastic Grandmothers” have been swimming with venomous sea snakes in New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean. Their purpose: collecting photos and information that help researchers better understand how the sea snakes impact the ecosystem.
Researchers at the University of Caledonia don’t normally work with volunteers, but sea snake research scientist Claire Goiran made an exception after her long-time friend suggested taking photos of sea snakes in Lemon Bay for her. One thing led to another, resulting in seven grandmothers gathering as a team on this scientific research.
“The amount of snakes we have seen in Lemon Bay has stunned researchers,” says 70-year-old Monique Mazière, one of the Fantastic Grandmothers. “We’ve reported 262 of them.”
Goiran has trained the women on how to approach and take photos of the snakes comfortably, and so long as the sea is calm, the women swim an average of 2.5 kilometers each day. “I am very proud of the work accomplished by this team of grandmothers,” says Goiran. “They have allowed us to uncover many things we didn’t know existed.”
