Announcement:

 

Guafo Science research team is calling for volunteers for our project this Austral summer of 2023-24. We are seeking enthusiastic and motivated individuals to assist with fieldwork and data collection activities of wild South American fur seals at Guafo Island, Northern Chilean Patagonia. The field working season this year is between December 5th, 2023, and March 15th, 2024 with the possibility of starting on January 5th, 2024.

The project responsibilities include capturing and restraining South American fur seal adults and pups and depending on volunteer skills and experience collection of blood, swabs, and feces, also daily monitoring and behavior analysis. Volunteers will also assist veterinary staff during Necropsies of fur seal pups following a standard protocol of sample collection.

The work also includes helping with domestic tasks, keeping the campsite, and assisting with the work of the field laboratory (mainly helping with CBCs, blood smears, and osteological sample processing).

Guafo Island is a pristine and large oceanic island with no permanent human inhabitants. During the prolonged fieldwork (2 to 3 months) communication is very limited and our campsite does not have electricity or running fresh water. The weather is cold, rainy, and windy with an average thermal sensation in the summer of 9 Celsius degrees.

Qualifications and requirements for selection:

*Over 20 years of age.

*Health compatible with field activities.

*Tolerance to: long working hours (10 to 16 hours per day), extreme isolation (no communications, electricity, or basic services), navigation, and adverse weather conditions.

*Be able to integrate a multidisciplinary and international work group and maintain a healthy coexistence with the group.

*Intermediate (speaking and reading) level of Spanish.

Work to be carried out in the field:

*Daily census and/or monitoring.

*Collection of environmental samples (e.g., feces, carcasses).

*Necropsies.

*Capture (re-capture), handling, and release of pups and adult females of southern fur seals.

*Laboratory analysis of samples.

*Creation of physical and digital databases.

*Interaction with the Guafo Island community (fishermen and Chilean Navy).

Maintenance of the scientific station (cleaning, repairs, etc.).

*Habitation tasks (cooking, cutting firewood, collecting rainwater, etc.).

Benefits for those selected:

*To get to know and live in a pristine place with unique biodiversity in the world.

*Training in fieldwork techniques (capture, monitoring, and laboratory) with fur seals.

*Opportunity to develop a professional internship and/or research proposal (undergraduate or graduate thesis).

*Meet, live, and interact with a multidisciplinary group of experienced professionals.

*Coverage of living expenses, transportation within Chile, and food during the duration of the fieldwork.


To apply you must send a letter of interest (1 page max.) and your CV to:

 

Dr. Diego Perez-Venegas:  guafoscience@gmail.com

 

Closing date: October 1, 2023

Additional information about research projects at Guafo Island can be found at http://www.guafoislandscience.com/ or Instagram: @guafoscience


Best Regards.

 

Mauricio Seguel     DVM, PhD, DACVP
Assistant Professor
Department of Pathobiology
Ontario Veterinary College
University of Guelph, Canada.