Position Title: Experienced volunteer as a Chimpanzee Research Assistant in Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire

[Primate-Volunteers]

Position Title: Experienced volunteer as a Chimpanzee Research Assistant in Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire

Date: October 2024 to March 2025 (5 months)

Job description:

We are looking for a 5 months volunteer to conduct data collection of sociality and tool-use behavior of the Djouroutou chimpanzee community in Taï National Park. As a research assistant, the volunteer will daily work in the forest, following the chimpanzees, with other team members (including experienced guides and researchers).

This field work will contribute to the habituation of the chimpanzee community and to the research of the Lise Meitner Technological Research Primate Group, at the Max Planck Institute (https://www.eva.mpg.de/technological-primates/), in collaboration with the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques of Côte d’Ivoire (https://www.csrs.ch/fr). The volunteer will be supervised by the project coordinator and researchers.

The volunteer will stay at the forest camp (in the chimpanzee home range) which is very basic. The team members usually stay in tents. There is running water to take a shower but no electricity, and the network connection is very limited. Meals are prepared by a cook at the camp, over a fire.

 

Experience and Skills required:

Please carefully consider this information BEFORE APPLYING: Isolated field conditions are physically and mentally challenging. Work days can be long (12 hours), stressful and difficult (weather, vegetation, hills, swamps, unpredictable wildlife encounters, close proximity). Make sure you are in an excellent physical condition and able to face all these difficulties for an extended period of time.

- Strong interest in scientific research

- Autonomous and enduring

- Good adaptability and initiative

- Experience with primate monitoring (especially chimpanzees) and protocols (focal, group composition)

- Knowledge in animal/primate behavior and tropical ecology

- Sensitivity to Côte d’Ivoire culture,

- French AND English speaking

- Be available from October 15^th 2024 to March 30^th 2025

- Valid passport

Wages:

Return plane tickets to home country and visa will be reimbursed after the successful field trip. A monthly compensation of 350 € is provided for personal use, insurances, etc.

 

Application:

Please send a CV and a cover letter to  c…@eva.mpg.de  
We will evaluate applications as they come and until the position is filled.
Interviews will run from August 7^th 2024.

 

[Valentina San Martin]

Hello, my name is Valentina San Martin, I am from Argentina, I work with primates here in Latinoamerica, I am a field assistant in a scientific investigation of the Cai Monkey, it is my dream to work with chimpanzees, I have experience in primate monitoring and also in protocols, I know how to do focal, scans, group composition, identification of individuals, consumption rates,

nd what I don't know, I can learn quickly. I also have experience with other primates, I worked in a primate rehabilitation center and learned how to handle animals in captivity and to live in very precarious conditions, I adapt very quickly, I really like to work, I am very proactive and I can handle challenging work situations or circumstances well. 

I am passionate about what I do, I love animals, my work with monkeys is everything I had dreamed of doing, I love learning, knowing, I like meeting new people, new cultures, I am used to living with other people, I am currently living in a scientific station inside a national park, Iguazu Falls, in the Atlantic rainforest here in Misiones, Argentina. 

I speak fluent English and I am fully available to work with you. My research ends now in August and I will be fully available starting in September. I hope you can keep me in mind. I have a lot to contribute. I look forward to any news. Best regards, Valentina.

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