A Conservation-Optimism Turtle Story Presented in a Main Theatre of Madrid After the COVID-19 Restrictions Were Raised

Creating positive, engaging conservation stories for all audiences has been a neglected field in many conservation initiatives. Yet, they offer a valuable resource to promote stronger attachments to the project and novel funding avenues. The increasing awareness of illegal wildlife trafficking and the potentially harmful effects of the unregulated wild meat market is now more evident for the wide public after the repercussions seen with the pandemic. Theatres have been closed for several months, and people have been waiting impatiently to go back and enjoy the scenes. On May 9^th, the state of alarm ended in Spain and most COVID-19 restrictions were raised. Therefore, many public activities went back to “normal.” In Madrid, the Alcazar Theatre hosted a wildlife and environmental-related show to raise awareness about the consequences of unsustainable practices and biodiversity loss. Journalists and scientists presented first-hand short stories to the audience. The authors were trained in storytelling and acting beforehand. The script was tailored to engage the audience and promote education through a positive conservation narrative. We created a story based on the rescue and rehabilitation operation of Big-headed turtles in Myanmar carried out in 2016 by the joint efforts of Wildlife Reserves Singapore, Turtle Survival Alliance, Smithsonian, Wildlife Conservation Society, and the Myanmar Forestry Department. The story told was charming and eye-opening for the audience. We received very positive feedback after the event by the organizers and general public. In this presentation, we aim to offer an overview of the whole process, from drafting the tale to training the author in basic acting techniques. Finally, the result, a short eight-minute story will be shared with the attendants of the symposium. By doing so, we provide the basic tools and resources for other turtle conservation projects to engage in similar activities.