Hiring Organization:
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
Date Posted:
2008-12-19
Position Description:
I'm looking for a volunteer field assistant to help with the habituation and first data collection on the ecology of Siberut macaques (Macaca siberu). This primate species was only recently described as an own species and is endemic to the small island of Siberut, offshore of Sumatra. Thus, this species is nearly completely unknown to science and the volunteer will have the unique opportunity to participate in collecting first data about this macaque. Two groups of Siberut macaques will be habituated to human presence and behavioral observation procedures in order to conduct research about feeding ecology and feeding competition both within and between groups. This PhD project is conducted at the field site of the Siberut Conservation Project (SCP), a joint project between the German Primate Center (Germany) and Institut Pertanian Bogor (Indonesia), and is supervised by Dr. Julia Ostner and Dr. Oliver Schülke (Courant Research Center for Evolution of Social Behavior, Georg-August University Göttingen, Germany and Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany).
The work involves long daily walks in the forest to find the monkeys. The terrain is very hilly, muddy and steep. Heavy and steady rains make maneuvering the forest even more difficult. Siberut is one of the wettest places on Earth. We will record the time, location and duration of encounters with the monkeys, sleeping and feeding trees, and activity data. Trees and locations have to be mapped with GPS.
Qualifications/Experience:
Previous field experience is essential and experience in tropical rain forest is preferred, to make sure that the volunteer can cope with the temperature and humidity, but also with snakes, spiders, mosquitoes and leeches. Applicants should have a background in biology, anthropology, forestry or conservation. The candidate has to be physically and mentally strong, as the island is very isolated. The basic camp is a 3-day trip away from the mainland by ferry, speed boat and finally a 40min walk to reach camp and there is no means of communication despite a satellite phone that is strictly reserved for emergency cases. The macaque research team currently consists of 4 local guides, 1-2 Indonesian field assistants and 1 researcher. It is required to learn basics of Indonesian language. The candidate should be highly motivated, easy-going and adaptable, open to a different culture, should be comfortable with living under very basic conditions. He/ she should like to work in a team, but should also be able to work independent and supervise the local guides.
Salary/funding:
There is no salary available for this position.
Support provided for internship/volunteer positions (travel, meals, lodging):
Airfare and transportation to and from the research station will be provided as well as lodging fee and food in camp. Vaccinations and health insurance have to be covered by the applicant. Applicants should be aware that there’s a medium risk of malaria and dengue fever on Siberut.
Term of Appointment:
A commitment for at least 6 months is required. The position can be extended up to 1 year.
Application Deadline:
Applications will be reviewed as they come in until the position is filled. Start date is as soon as possible.
Comments:
For application, please submit the following:
1) Your CV with contact details
2) Letter of interest with preferred starting date and time of commitment
3) Contact information of two referees
Please email the application both to me, Christin Richter (celestina.richter@gmail.com) and my supervisor Oliver Schülke (Oliver.Schuelke@biologie.uni-goettingen.de), as I will be in the field most of the time. For further questions or information, contact us via email or Oliver via phone: +49 551 393926
Contact Information:
Christin Richter
Deutscher Platz 6
Leipzig 04103
Germany
Website:
http://http://www.siberut-island.org/website.php
E-mail Address:
celestina.richter@gmail.com