Might be of interest.
For YETI
Debabrata Phukon
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Virendra Mathur <vmvirendra85@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, Jun 9, 2022, 8:50 AM
Subject: Volunteer Positions - Himalayan Langur Project
To: YETI <meet.yeti@xxxxxxxxx>
Hello Team Yeti,
I will request you to kindly post it on the yeti mailing list.
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*Position Description*: The Himalayan Langur Project (HLP) has
volunteership opportunities for active individuals who wish to gain
experience in the field of animal behavior ecology, conservation biology,
and evolutionary biology. Major duties include 1- behavioral data
collection on Himalayan langur troops 2- meetings with villagers 3-
teaching local kids in HLP community hall, 4- conducting various activities
with the local community, including plantation 5-perform natural
experiments with a troop of langurs. The main objectives of this research
are to understand human-primate interaction using a multi disciplinary
approach where we will record human and primate behavior in an
anthropologically modified landscape to inform conservation practices. We
are also looking at the spatial cognition of these high-altitude primates,
and aim to understand their navigational abilities in their landscape. If
these two broad goals sound interesting to you, and you would like to learn
more and pursue related ideas for your future study, this opportunity will
be a good springboard for you.
Fieldwork requires long hours hiking in the forest and a great deal of
patience. Other tasks related to fieldwork include (a) learning individual
identities, (b) systematic data entry (c) vegetation sampling, and (d)
taking GPS data on range use. The typical day consists of approximately 10
hours of walking in the forest, an average of 7-8 km per day, including
rainy days. The field site at Mandal is well established with basic
amenities and a good cellular and internet connectivity. The Kanchula
Kharak field site is remote with only the very basic facilities and very
little cellular network receptivity. More details about the projects can be
found here (https://www.himaninautiyal.com/).
*Study Site:* This position is based in Mandal Valley, Chamoli district
Uttarakhand, India. This site is one of the oldest sites of HLP and is
ideal for learning primate behavior field methodology. The volunteers will
be working at two field sites - Mandal village which will also serve as the
base camp and Kanchula Kharak, a remote field site inside the Kedarnath
Wildlife Sanctuary
*Qualifications/Experience*:
- Have (or be working toward) an undergraduate (B.Sc./B.A.) degree or
Master’s degree in psychology, biology, ecology, or anthropology, with an
emphasis on animal behavior (e.g., ethology, behavioral ecology, zoology)
- Experience conducting fieldwork.
- Experience with data collection and data entry, preferably with a
behavioral research project.
- Must be able to live and work independently and as part of a
multicultural team.
- Good physical fitness is essential as most of the day will be spent
hiking after the study groups.
- Must be fluent in Hindi or have a working knowledge of the same.
- Good creative problem-solving skills.
- The applicant should be able to live in a remote place where the
applicant might not find proper cellular connectivity. Thus we would expect
the applicant to be comfortable away from the city life and getting
detached from the technology for small periods on a regular basis.
*Salary/funding*:
Stipend and round trip fares (train/bus) are available after a minimum of 2
month stay, but some funding is available to cover expenses. See below.
*Support provided for internship positions (meals, lodging)*: Food and
accommodation at the field site, as well as travel between the fieldsites,
will be covered by the project.
*Term of Appointment*:
From June 20 2022 to the end of December 2022 (*minimum 2 month commitment
required)
*Application Deadline*:
A review of applications will begin immediately, and the position will
remain open until filled. We expect to select the successful candidates by
the end of June 2022 (or probably earlier). Short-listed applicants will be
contacted to schedule zoom interviews as soon as possible.
*How to apply*: Please download, edit, and send the attached *Application
Form
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JGg8a1NFlLAhBvjgpgtnrKUF0qCoA38h/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=118059284535653051217&rtpof=true&sd=true>
*along with your CV to himani.nautiyal08@xxxxxxxxx (Himani Nautiyal,
Director HLP) and cc to vmvirendra85@xxxxxxxxx (Virendra Mathur,
Co-director HLP)
Virendra Mathur
PhD Student
Dr. Julie Teichroeb Lab
University of Toronto
Twitter - @AmazingVirus