Orangutan Research Volunteer - North Sumatra, Indonesia

Title: Orangutan Research Volunteer
Agency: Orangutan Health Project
Location: Leuser Ecosystem, North Sumatra, Indonesia
Job Description: Principal Investigator: MVDr Ivona Foitova PhD

Qualifications: Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, PhD study of Diseases of Wild Animals and Animals in Zoological Gardens from Veterinary and Pharmaceutical University of Brno, Czech Republic, Europe.

Affiliations: UMI - Saving of Pongidae Foundation.

Research Site: Leuser Ecosystem, North Sumatra, Indonesia.

Rendezvous site: Polonia International Airport in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia.

Cost: US$1,289 (excluding flights, insurance and tourist visa) / US$990 for students (excluding flights, insurance and tourist visa).

Team size: Minimum 2, maximum 8.

Your participation fee is used to cover all the day-to-day expenses of running the project, including food and accommodations for volunteers and staff, operation of the project base, lab equipment and supplies, and helps provide the funds necessary to transport faecal, plant, and soil samples abroad for important analysis work. We also pay the full cost of national park permits, at tourist rates. Any "leftovers" are invested in the future expansion of the project, including the building of an ambitious new research station in an area of forest previously unstudied. This area is home to a significant population of wild orangutans and the new station will go a long way to protecting their habitat while simultaneously providing a site for conservation education, an international summer school and an expansion of research.

The project is proud to be able to provide important work for the local community and employs only local guides for trekking in the forest.

A SAMPLE VOLUNTEER SCHEDULE MAY GO AS FOLLOWS:

Day 1: Arrive in Medan, travel to project, orientation to location, rest and recuperate.

Day 2: Orientation to project and tasks. Start work in the office.

Day 3: Visit the orangutan feeding platform and practice trek in the forest. Second visit to feeding or free-time (swimming/tubing, etc.)

Day 4: Volunteer tasks at base (see below).

Days 5-10: Fieldwork/trekking with overnight stays in the forest carrying out tasks necessary to the project's research (see below). Three meals per day and water are provided. Alternatively, several one-day treks in the jungle to carry out tasks necessary to the project's research (no overnight camping)

Day 11: Field work data processing.

Day 12: Free day. (Re-visit feeding platform/swimming/tubing/opportunity for cultural outings.) Volunteer BBQ.

Day 13: Travel to Medan (AM) for afternoon flights.

IMPORTANT: The above is only an example of a possible schedule of activities. It is always subject to change based on the needs of the project. Staying overnight in the forest is not guaranteed and will be based on considerations such as weather, staff availability, number of volunteers, and most importantly, physical fitness of the volunteers.

POSSIBLE RESEARCH TASKS AT BASE:
Entering behavioural data collected by Field Assistants

Organising samples of orangutan foodstuffs and preparing for our herbarium

Organising faecal samples collected by Field Assistants

Preparing equipment for Field Assistants to go to the forest

Preparing behavioural data sheets

Preparing sample bottles for Field Assistants

Shopping for project supplies in town or at the local market

Brainstorming ideas to help the project's promotion

Keeping temperature, weather and humidity data records updated

Cleaning project office and accommodation


POSSIBLE RESEARCH TASKS IN THE FOREST:

Locating areas with a significant wild orangutan population

Finding and following orangutans to collect behavioural data and faecal and plant samples

Nest counting to provide seasonally varying estimates of the orangutan population

Fruit trail transects to record the range of foodstuffs available to orangutans in an area

Volunteers on every team will get proper instruction and information about the following matters:

The project and your role/responsibilities within it
- Safe behaviour in tropical countries, potential health risks and precautions

- Proper sample collecting techniques and data entry protocols

- Advice about the best clothing and equipment for work in the forest

- Local flora and fauna and especially about the orangutans

- Indonesian culture, basic language, and appropriate behaviour in Sumatra

Qualifications: Team dates start the 1st Monday of each month.

Ideal Volunteers:
- Ability to live under basic conditions with limited amenities

- Openness to, and acceptance of, non-Western ideas and cultures

- Fluency in the English language

Salary: N/A
Last Date to apply: January 7, 2013
Website: http://www.orangutan-health.org
Contact: OHP Project Assistant
E-mail: orangutanhealth@nusa.net.id(Preferred)
Phone: +6281362146476