Position Description
The Sloth Technician absolutely must have the ability to work long days (9+ hours) with 2 days off per week. In addition, because most of this work will occur alone at night, this person will need to be able to basically become nocturnal. This person must be extremely dedicated to sloth conservation and willing to forgo personal comfort for the benefit of the animals. You will be hot, sweaty, wet, cold, eaten by mosquitos, sleepy, sore, and tired but you’ll still feel that there is no other place in the world that you would rather be than watching sloths in the jungle. The ideal person will eat, sleep, breathe and dream about sloths! This is rigorous fieldwork with limited hands-on interactions with sloths. The ideal person will also be ok with often working alone and having days off alone.
Duties
- Conduct behavioral monitoring at night in the rainforest.
- Daily Data Entry
- Using VHF radio telemetry
- Preparing food/collecting wild food items for sloths
- Feeding, cleaning and enriching sloth cages
- Assist in opportunistic capture, sample collection and release of sloths
- Optional independent research project (to be discussed with the Research Manager)
Qualifications & Experience
All applicants must be physically fit, healthy, have field research experience, behavioral research experience (requires patience!), excellent communication skills, a strong interest in animal welfare and conservation and a great sense of humor. Must be non-smoker. Coursework or experience in zoology, environmental education, wildlife ecology, or a related field is required. Experience traveling to a tropical country and living in rainforest conditions are a plus. Spanish language skills and experience working with VHF tracking technology are strongly considered. Must complete required vaccinations and purchase current international health insurance prior to arrival in Costa Rica.
Salary & Funding
This is a voluntary self-funded position. You will be responsible for all travel expenses/flights and immigration expenses; health insurance expenses. Room in a shared common facility and supplies for basic meals will be provided. WIFI, electricity and running water is also included. Term of Appointment: Must be willing to stay at least 6 months with an option for extension upon review.