The LuiKotale Bonobo Project (LKBP) is looking for research assistants for an ongoing habituation project. Habituation focuses on one bonobo community living in the neighborhood of two habituated groups that are monitored on a daily base by researchers and assistants. The field site is located in a remote forest outside Salonga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Daily fieldwork includes locating and following bonobos and collecting information facilitating identification of individuals. Before starting with habituation work, candidates will be trained by research staff working with habituated bonobos in order to learn to identify acoustic cues, feeding remains, nest sites etc.
Because of the remoteness of the site, field conditions are physically and mentally challenging. The forest is often dense and swampy and assistants are sometimes exposed to severe weather and tropical diseases. The research camp has no running water, electricity, phone coverage, or internet access. Daily communication is limited to short emails, but satellite phones are available in the event of an emergency. Assistants live in tents and mostly eat simple foods (e.g., beans, manioc and rice). Habituation work can be frustrating because searching time still exceeds observation hours and after encountering a group, bonobos tend to hide from human observers. Please carefully consider whether you will able to cope with these conditions for an extended period of time before applying for this position.
Qualifications/Experience:
Ideal candidates will express an interest in primate behavior and forest ecology, and demonstrate strong organizational skills and proficiency with the French language. Due to the challenging physical and social environment, candidates must be (a) physically fit; (b) resistant to psychological stress; (c) self-motivated and (d) able to work with minimal supervision while out in the field. Tolerance towards different social customs and beliefs is an important requirement. Please note that the LKBP adheres strictly to gender equality and will not tolerate any form of sexual harassment. Previous experience using Microsoft Excel and navigating with a compass and GPS unit are assets, but not required.
Salary/Funding:
300 Euro/month during training and 500 Euro/month thereafter
Support provided for internship/volunteer positions (travel, meals, lodging):
- food (mix of mainly local food and some western food items)
- lodging (in tents) at the field site
- airfare for one domestic flight from Kinshasa to the field site and back*
- expenses for long-term visa*
- contribution to an international return flight of up to 800 Euro*
*reimbursement ONLY AFTER SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE APPOINTMENT
Please note that people joining the research team in the field are required to have a health insurance that covers expenses for evacuation by charter plane in a case of emergency. Expenses for the health insurance cannot be covered by the project.
Term of Appointment: 9 month starting in November/December2022
Comments:
Applications include an updated CV, a letter of motivation that shows how the candidate meets the qualifications outlined above, and references of three people (or their contact information). Applications should be send to Dr. Gottfried Hohmann (hohmann@eva.mpg.de) and to Barbara Fruth (bfruth@ab.mpg.de).
Information about the research and conservation activities at LuiKotale is available at
https://www.ab.mpg.de/342195/prof-dr-barbara-fruth
https://www.eva.mpg.de/primat/research-groups/bonobos/luikotale-study-site.html
https://www.bonobo-alive.org/index.html
Contact Information:
Deutscher Platz 6
Leipzig 04103
Germany
Telephone Number:
++49 341 3550 208
Website:
E-mail Address: