Field Volunteer Assistant working with wild macaws in Peru

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Agency

The Macaw Society

Location

Tambopata, Peru

Job Category

Volunteer Openings

Salary

Volunteer

Start Date

10/12/2022

Last Date to Apply

03/30/2023

Website

https://vetmed.tamu.edu/themacawsociety/volunteer/

Description

Come join our field team! We are re-opening our volunteer program in Tambopata in a brand-new field station!

We have been working in the lowlands of south-eastern Peru for more than two decades. Drs. Brightsmith and Vigo-Trauco from the Schubot Center for Avian Health from Texas A&M, are now leading its expansion to new areas in the Neotropics while continuing to monitor wild psittacine breeding ecology in Tambopata, Peru. Tambopata has been the core area for our research and monitoring of wild parrots and macaws since 1999. A long history of dedicated work has provided many insights into various aspects of wild psittacines.

We are always looking to collaborate with anyone with a passion for conservation and biology. Volunteers are one of the most important aspects of The Macaw Society. The thousands of hours of observations that have been conducted over the decades would not have been possible without the help of the many volunteers and assistants who have offered their time and energy for the cause of science and conservation. There are no qualification limitations, although most volunteers come from a biological or environmental sciences background. All applicants are welcome, as we can find a role for almost any type of volunteer. If you are responsible, enthusiastic, self-disciplined, and patient PLUS you enjoy being outdoors and working with wildlife, we encourage you to check out our volunteer assistantship opportunities. We have different volunteer assistantships programs that require different levels of experience from amateur enthusiasts and birdwatchers to graduate-level professionals.

Volunteer activities vary according to the position.

LONG TERM VOLUNTEER ASSISTANT

You will be trained to identify all parrots by sight and sound in the area. To conduct wild parrot censuses in clay licks and in the forest, locate foraging parrots plus enter data into computers. During the macaw breeding season, you will be trained to climb trees using rope systems and observe macaw behavior around nests. You will be part of our regular expedition trips to check our macaw nests upriver and you will camp in the middle of the rainforest. Activities include cooking and campsite set up.

SHORT VOLUNTEER ASSISTANT

These assistants will be quickly trained to help our field team to work with ropes to be part of the team that stays on the ground when we monitor macaw nests and chicks. You also are trained to monitor macaw behavior around their nests. Activities include cooking and campsite setup. Due to the short length of stay, volunteers will have only minimal involvement in activities requiring higher training levels like parrot censuses and tree climbing.

Qualifications

LONG-TERM VOLUNTEER ASSISTANT
REQUIREMENTS:
Previous field experience previous experience working with birds; Degree in Biology, Ecology, Forestry, Wildlife Sciences, or related careers or close to graduation.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: good physical condition, able to carry a 40 lb (18 kg) pack over moderate terrain for up to 2 km, and no fear of heights (Dec-Mar). Good disposition facing new and challenging situations, able to work in a team under stress. Have both life and accident insurance coverage.

SHORT-TERM VOLUNTEER ASSISTANT
REQUIREMENTS
Previous experience observing animals in captivity or in the wild; appreciation for nature and wildlife.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
Average physical condition, ability to walk 2 km over moderate terrain, good sense of observing animals, ability to stay seated for long periods of time, and some background knowledge of birds in general.

Contact Person

Dr. Gabriela Vigo-Trauco

Contact eMail

[email protected]

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